We are all consumers of mental health services’ : the hidden danger of promoting ‘sameness’

This statement ‘we are all consumers of mental health services’ was made during a formal meeting in which the issue of consumer participation in education was being discussed. It is not the intention but rather the potential ramifications I wish to explore. The statement may well have reflected a desire to promote empathy and understanding. However, the idea that this should equip a broad range of people to speak for consumers of mental health services essentially undermines current efforts to enhance and facilitate consumer participation within services. At a superficial level, the statement may seem humane and inclusive, using one’s own experiences to establish empathy and thereby ‘normalize’ the illness experience. Asserting that we are all consumers breaks down the barriers, and provides a common understanding between ‘us’, the service providers and educators, and ‘them’, the people who experience mental illness. Upon deeper reflection it is not only fundamentally inaccurate but potentially dangerous.