A life through the looking glass: the development of a qualitative method, International Digital Collaborative Autoethnographical Psychobiography (IDCAP)

Purpose This paper aims to introduce International Digital Collaborative Autoethnographical Psychobiography (IDCAP). Design/methodology/approach This paper describes how IDCAP was developed to answer research questions about what it takes and what it means to recover from mental illness. During its development, IDCAP combined the diverse and intersectional experiences, knowledge and interests of an Anglo-Swedish research team with what could be found in different publications concerning the experiences and the mental illnesses of the musicians Syd Barrett, Peter Green and Brian Wilson. Findings IDCAP combines features of autoethnography and psychobiography to offer a novel qualitative research method. Research limitations/implications Whilst IDCAP was created to focus on recovery from mental illness and musicians, it can be applied to other areas of research. It shares the same limitations as autoethnography and psychobiography, although some of the features of IDCAP may go some way to mitigate against these. Practical implications IDCAP is a novel research method that is offered to other researchers to develop and enhance further through application. Social implications IDCAP is a collaborative research method that encourages the involvement of a wide range of researchers from different countries and cultures. It can be used to give voice to marginalised groups and to counter discrimination and prejudice. Recovery from mental illness is a topic of great personal and social value. Originality/value IDCAP is a novel research method that, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, has not been explicitly used before.