The Co-Researchers journey in CoAct for Mental Health

This graphic document is a testimony of the Co-Researchers' contribution to CoAct for Mental Health over a long and still unfinished journey, from 2020 to 2022. Co-Researchers, people with mental health problems and their families, have been the main actors of this research, as in-the-field competent experts. The research involved launching a chatbot in Telegram where anyone can listen to their lived experiences and react to them. CoResearchers have been involved in the interpretation of the data collected and drew conclusions to make political recommendations and support specific demands. CoAct for Mental Health is part of CoAct (Co-designing Citizen Social Science for Collective Action), a project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 873048. CoAct understands Citizen Social Science as participatory research co-designed and directly driven by citizen groups sharing a social concern. We expect to upscale this project at a more global level and to replicate it to other social pressing issues. This storytelling document has been done based on the technique of graphic reporting and represent an innovative way to disseminate citizen science for health results. The graphic recording reports Co-Researchers lived stories collected with interview performed by the graphic artist Verity Harrison. In parallel, the general timeline of the project is represented, from the Open Call to recruit Co-Researchers to the final assembly where the final policy recommendations were presented. The posters' contents will be explained by two of the CoResearchers that participated to the project and one member of the academic team.