Research watch: recovery as a personal journey: how mental health services are trying to support it

This Research Watch seeks to summarise two recent research papers at the forefront of research on recovery.

A search was carried out for research papers with a mental health and social inclusion focus published within the past 12 months.

The first paper summarises the way 87 different research studies describe recovery from asking people about their recovery experiences. Recovery seems to be about connecting with others, finding hope, being able to think of ourselves positively, finding meaning in life, and control over our lives. The second paper describes two major research projects supporting change in mental health services' approach to recovery in England – ImROC and REFOCUS. It also discusses major challenges, including professional values and training, and highlights the value of disability rights and human rights legislation. A key message is that enabling the full participation necessary for personal recovery requires the support of the wider society and community.

The first paper is the first to pull together numerous studies of recovery as a personal journey rather than cure of symptoms. Services need to know more about this view of recovery, so they can measure all relevant outcomes. The second paper describes two research projects at the forefront of enabling services to support personal recovery.