'Recovery' approach in mental health is idea 'whose time has come'

March 20, 2008
by Chris George

The “recovery” approach in mental health is an idea “whose time has come”, says a charity.

Making Recovery A Reality is authored by Professor Geoff Shepherd, a clinical psychologist and visiting professor in the health service and population research department at the Institute of Psychiatry; Dr Jed Boardman, a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer in social psychiatry at South London and Maudsley Trust; and Dr Mike Slade, a consultant clinical psychologist and reader in health services research at the Institute of Psychiatry.

Read for yourself:
Making Recovery A Reality

See also:
Service provision

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Recovery not for everyone

Comment from: Fenella Lemonsky, Expert by Experience, North London Hub, UK Mental Health Research Network, Imperial College, London
Date: March 26, 2008

I have concerns that those with more complex illnesses like PTSD, personality disorder and treatment-resistant eating disorders are being "pushed out" well before these people are ready.

I have nothing against people moving on, but the evidence base for more complex mental health illnesses is that they need time, skill and support consistently. Using the Recovery Model is a nice idea but only if you are not a square peg trying to fit in a round hole.

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Recovery approach limited to white, middle classes

From: Suman Fernando, hon. senior lecturer in mental health, European Centre for Migration & Social Care (MASC), University of Kent; visiting professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University sumanfernando.com
Date: April 4, 2008

The 'recovery approach' is far too centred on the individual and tends to ignore the political and social context of 'mental illness'.

As such its relevance may be limited to a small group of service users - white middle-class mainly.

It's use widely is likely to add to social exclusion.

The journey for many black people in a racist society to escape from the aftermath of a major life disruption requires a holistic approach, where community is more important than 'self' and one that is inseparable from dealing with racism and discrimination in many aspects of their lives.

In my view, recovery is far too mild a word to encompass such a journey towards a respectable and fulfilling life.

The journey (which many black people caught up in the system never complete) is better represented by 'liberation' or 'struggle' (see my article in Openmind magazine, published by Mind, January/February 2008.)

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Recovery also excludes white, working class

From: Louise Pembroke, mental health activist, London
Date: April 8, 2008

I agree with you Suman that this "recovery" bandwagon does indeed ignore the political and social context of mental distress.

However, as a white working class service user I have to say I don't feel it applies to me either. It's a very elite circle of those who promote recovery and a lucrative gravy train.

So, although I would agree that 'recovery' as it is espoused excludes black people, I think it excludes a lot of us.

As for social inclusion, have you noticed how "recovery" has appropriated many concepts including social inclusion under its umbrella? It's scooped up everything and anything which looks good and rebranded it and relaunched it as new improved super-duper recovery. It's as though people need some new religion to follow.

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It does not ring my bell

From: Peter Campbell, Mind 2007 Champion of the Year, London
Date: April 9, 2008

I share many of the misgivings expressed above. Although I think there are helpful aspects of the "recovery approach", one real stumbling block for me is that, despite receiving mental health services regularly for many years, I have never thought of my life in terms of recovering from a catastrophic event or events.

Recovering, attempting to recover, being in recovery, being recovered, ring no bells for me at all. I suspect there are other service users around who feel the same. Viewing parts or all of your past and future life in terms of "recovery" may be helpful but it is by no means the only useful framework for looking at your experience and prospects.

The fact that concepts of recovery mean little to me is not because I am a bit thick or because the notion of recovering from adversity had not entered human consciousness at the time I had my first acute admission. There are other ways of looking at things.

In my opinion, the last thing we need to be doing at the moment is replacing an old orthodoxy with a new orthodoxy, even if the new one is more influenced by the lives and contributions of service users.

I hope we never reach the stage where the inability or unwillingness of service users to fit their lives into a "recovery narrative" is used as a way of marginalising what they have to say.

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Too stubborn to realise recovery?

From: Mike Stean, approved social worker, NHS Recovery and Independent Living Team and also Forensic Services
Date: August 28, 2008

With 'recovery' as with the medical model, surely the criterion for improvement is whether someone going through the process has more real control over what happens?

The fault with the old way and the risk in the new is that reality is redefined away from personal experience, creating just another passivity. The analogy in housing provision would be 'voluntarily homeless'. We could end up with recalcitrant ex-service users who are too stubborn to realise they have recovered!

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