Aim. This paper is a report of an exploration of the concept of service user involvement in
mental health nursing using a discourse analysis approach. Background. Service user
involvement has come to be expected in mental health nursing policy and practice. This
concept, however, is often applied somewhat ambiguously and some writers call for a
clearer understanding of what service users actually want. Method. A Foucauldian discourse
analysis was conducted in 2005, examining literature and health policies published by the …