Background: Over the past six decades, the concept of patient-centred care (PCC) has been discussed in health research, policy and practice. However, research on PCC from a patients' perspective is sparse and particularly absent in outpatient psychiatric services. Aim: to gain insight into what patients with bipolar disorder and ADHD consider ''good care'' and what this implies for the conceptualisation of PCC. Method: A literature review on the different conceptualisations of PCC was complemented with qualitative explorative research on the experiences and needs of adults with ADHD and with bipolar disorder with mental healthcare in the Netherlands using focus group discussions and interviews.

Background Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common psychiatric disorder in childhood which has recently been acknowledged to persist into adulthood in two-thirds of cases. However, the problems faced by adults with ADHD in their daily lives remain largely unexplored.

For this qualitative case study, 23 semistructured interviews were conducted with clients of a private coaching center in the Netherlands. We explored why adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prefer coaching, which is financed out-of-pocket, over public mental health care and what the perceived added value is for them. The participants highly valued the optimistic strength-based and solution-focused approach, which was contrasted with what they have experienced as a deficit and symptom-centered approach in public mental health care. Coaching was perceived as a joint venture, resulting in a more thorough understanding of how one approaches life and can be better equipped to deal with future problems. This study identified a group of adults with ADHD who feel that their needs are currently unsatisfactorily addressed in public mental health care. Future research should further explore whether this is a specific group of adults or whether these experiences are more common.