The social model, on the other hand, recognizes that the meaning of distress is culturally contingent, and so engaging with the person's belief systems and values is of paramount importance. This can only be achieved by listening carefully and respecting the person's beliefs. Critical psychiatry also brings a political perspective on mental health issues. This is problematic because it completely overlooks the role of poverty and social exclusion in psychosis. One of critical psychiatry s most important tasks is the creation of a new dialogue between survivors, mental health service users and psychiatrists, a dialogue that recognizes the value of different types of expertise.
Psychiatrists are experts by profession, but service users are experts by experience.
The best outcomes will only be achieved when these two types of expertise can work in alliance, something that critical psychiatry argues must happen now. The government already recognizes the importance of alliance between patient experts and health professionals in the area of chronic physical illness, by establishing an Expert Patients' Task Force to consider how professionals can work in partnership with expert patients. We believe that this model must be applied to the field of mental health, and we hope the government will not waste an excellent opportunity to act on this.