The following is an attempt to summarise and bring together the range of themes that appear to emerge from recovery writings and research.
- Recovery is a process that is unique for each person
- Discovering hope for recovery is essential.
- Finding a persistent and resilient self enables recovery.
- Recovery means taking personal responsibility for instituting purposeful action and active coping.
- Finding meaning in 'mental illness' experiences promotes recovery.
- Recovery involves finding personal supports, activities and an environment that will support growth and development.
- Recovery is a non-linear process with spirals and difficult passages.
- Recovery is not simply about symptom elimination but is an active on-going process of self-directed healing and transformation.
- Thriving can be the result of recovering from experiences due to `mental illness' and other adverse experiences.
(Piers AIlott,)
Hope
People (both the service user and the practitioner) must believe that life can be different, there must be a sense of hope in and for people. (Recovery as a Journey of the Heart )is very powerful in getting this message across. - See link above).
Personal responsibility An integral component of recovery is people taking personal responsibility for their lives and managing their well being. This builds a sense of personal control and self-determination. For service users who have been recipients of mental health services for a while, this can take quite a lot of time, as there have always been others (health professionals) who tell/advise service users what to do/not to do. The term "baby steps" is very apt when it comes to someone taking back reins of their life. It also means that mental health practitioners need to deal with their own fears/concerns about risk management.
Self-advocacy
Service users need to find their `voice' again, they need to learn to say what they want and don't want. This can be quite challenging for mental health professionals to deal with and can be viewed as non-compliance. It is important for health professionals to learn to negotiate with service users around issues where there is perceived risk. Self-advocacy provides an opportunity to re-engage with one's environment; to experiment, try, succeed and fail are all key components of the human experience.
Education
It is important for service users to understand both their illness and the medications they are on. In regards to medications service users need to understand what it is they are taking, why they are taking it and what the potential side effects may be. Service users also need to educate themselves about their illness/wellness cycles i.e. triggers, early warning signs, things that get them well, includes the choices of whether to accept treatment or not, the consequences of doing so or not doing so and the right to choose alternative treatments. |
