In this commentary we argue for the value of involving people with a diagnosis of mental health disorders and/or their caregivers as co-researchers in mental health research. We claim that co-production shares key ethical values with the citizen science approach, such as the acknowledgment of the right of citizens to manage their own care and the value of “expertise by experience.”

These values are especially important in a mental health context and should not be overlooked. Moreover, we argue that research collaborations involving people with a diagnosis of mental health disorders and/or their caregivers avoid certain important ethical challenges posed by some citizen science models, such as the need to develop a different model of ethical oversight