Recovery in Psychosis: A Delphi Study With Experts by Experience

Abstract

This study aimed to establish consensus about the meaning of recovery among individuals with experience of psychosis. A Delphi approach was utilized to allow a large sample of service users to be anonymously consulted about their views on recovery. Service users were invited to take part in a 3-stage consultation process. A total of 381 participants gave their views on recovery in the main stage of this study, with 100 of these taking part in the final review stage. The final list of statements about recovery included 94 items, which were rated as essential or important by >80% of respondents. These statements covered items which define recovery, factors which help recovery, factors which hinder recovery, and factors which show that someone is recovering. As far as we are aware, it is the first study to identify areas of consensus in relation to definitions of recovery from a service user perspective, which are typically reported to be an idiosyncratic process. Implications and recommendations for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

The relationship between clinical and recovery dimensions of outcome in mental health

“…Law et al, 2014). However, it is also clear that the term 'recovery' has been used in different ways.…”

“…There is a developing literature concerned with the different concepts of recovery and many studies have analysed concepts of recovery beyond symptomatology. Law and Morrison (2014) used a Delphi approach to establish consensus about the meaning of recovery among individuals with experience of psychosis and went on to consider implications for clinical practice. Attempting to find an approach which encompasses service user, professional and political considerations, Whitley and Drake (2014) proposed five superordinate dimensions of recovery and identified lay, professional, and systemic resources that promote each dimension.…”

Identifying the facilitators and processes which influence recovery in individuals with schizophrenia: a systematic review and thematic synthesis

“…Traditional medical definitions of recovery from schizophrenia have emphasized complete (or almost complete) remission of mental health symptoms and impairments, as opposed to partial improvement in symptoms (Law & Morrison, 2014;National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2010). Conversely, many service users identify a more subjective definition of recovery (Slade et al, 2014); reflecting a process where an individual's social identity/ies are developed and reconstructed (to some extent suffused with the stigma of the ''illness identity'').…”

Recovery After Psychosis: Qualitative Study of Service User Experiences of Lived Experience Videos on a Recovery-Oriented Website (Preprint)

“…This finding is particularly encouraging, given that a person feeling hopeless and not getting support from their mental health services can hinder their recovery [7].…”

“…Personal recovery, a process of rebuilding a meaningful life in the context of living with a mental illness, has become an influential way of understanding how people manage their lives after experiencing psychosis [3,[5][6][7]. This understanding has arisen primarily from consumer accounts of recovery and is often contrasted with recovery being framed in terms of symptom remission [3].…”