Centre for Mental Health

Recovery

What is recovery?

Recovery has been defined as "a way of living a satisfying, hopeful and contributing life even with the limitations caused by illness. Recovery involves the development of a new meaning and purpose in one's life as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illnesses".

In Making Recovery a Reality, we set out what we believe are the key themes of recovery:

1. Agency - gaining a sense of control over one's life and one's illness. Finding personal meaning - an identity which incorporates illness, but retains a positive sense of self.
2. Opportunity - building a life beyond illness. Using non-mental health agencies, informal supports and natural social networks to achieve integration and social inclusion.
3. Hope - believing that one can still pursue one's own hopes and dreams, even with the continuing presence of illness. Not settling for less, i.e. the reduced expectations of others.

A new rationale

Recovery is an idea whose time has come. It provides a new rationale for mental health services and has radical implications for the design and operation of mental health services and partnerships between health, social services and third sector organizations.

The closure of the large institutions, the development of community-based services and policy initiatives which emphasise recovery all provide opportunities to make recovery orientated practices and services integral to the organization and delivery of mental health services.