Incorporating the voice of young people in mental health research: reflections from three lived experience advisory panels in Latin America

Background: Involving people with lived experience in research has been increasingly recognised as a priority. This article details the development and implementation of three Lived Experience Advisory Panels (LEAP) and reports their evaluation of the experience. The LEAPs involved young people from Latin America with experiences of emotional distress, aimed at advising a youth mental health research programme. Methods: Online meetings were conducted within each LEAP in Bogotá, Lima and Buenos Aires to gather feedback at different stages of the programme. Additional activities included a Joint LEAP meeting and a focus group to explore the members’ experiences of LEAP participation. Results: During the LEAP meetings, 25 members (Bogotá n = 9, Lima n = 10, Buenos Aires n = 6) provided feedback on study data collection tools and materials, recruitment and dissemination strategies, and discussed preliminary results, which were significant in shaping study materials and processes. They valued the comfort and connection with researchers and peers during discussions about mental health topics, as well as the opportunity to inform a large-scale project with their lived experiences. However, challenges in the recruitment and engagement led to fluctuating participation, while socioeconomic and cultural barriers may have influenced access. Conclusions: The implementation of the LEAPs is an example of involving young Latin Americans with experiences of emotional distress in research. Future efforts should focus on overcoming structural limitations and fostering equitable collaboration, emphasising the need for youth perspectives in mental health research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.