Abstract

In this paper, I discuss the notion of «expertise by experience» in the context of mental health, building on the recent philosophical literature on this issue. I consider two common objections to viewing personal or lived experience as a source of expertise. First, one may argue that the contribution offered by experts by experience lacks objectivity. Second, one may see the main contribution by experts by experience as having the form of a personal narrative, and narratives are not the sort of thing that can count as evidence. I resist both claims, and defend the value of expertise by experience in some key domains.