ABSTRACT
As its title suggests, this volume on mental health services research is concerned with the generation of research evidence and its impact. The papers it contains are broadly of two types. The early chapters outline the details of the various methods utilised in the production of evidence in mental health research. The later chapters examine the influence of mental health research on policy making in several countries and on key groups such as the media and the public. The aim of this chapter is to introduce and apply some sociological ideas that can help to deepen our understanding of the character and impact of mental health services research and the evidence it generates by focusing on some wider questions. Why do certain types of research and certain types of evidence predominate? Why do some types of research have more impact than others? To answer questions like these, we need to consider who is producing the research evidence and the groups to which they belong, along with the group’s power, influence and methodological traditions, as well as the social processes that lead others to assign factual status to certain ideas and evidence.
