| Summary: | This thesis provides insight into young people’s experience of living with mental health difficulties. Chapter one contains a systematic review of the qualitative literature exploring lived experiences of young people with mental health difficulties. A total of 15 articles were included in this review and subjected to a meta-synthesis. Eight themes were identified highlighting a number of common themes which were experienced universally irrespective of the mental health condition experienced. Methodological limitations of the review are identified and implications of the findings are discussed alongside recommendations for future research. Chapter two explores the experiences of children and young people living with a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis provides a rich understanding of the young person’s experience of living with OCD, with particular attention to their experiences of relationships, identity formation and the difficulties they encountered whilst striving for recovery. Clinical implications are identified and recommendations for further research are considered. Finally, chapter three provides a reflective account of the researcher’s relationship and experience of the research process, capturing the parallel process in relation to the findings within the previous chapters. Areas of personal and professional development are also highlighted.
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