Recovery in Serious Mental Illness: A New Wine or Just a New Bottle?

Abstract

The notion of recovery has become a dominant force in mental health policy, evident in reports of the Surgeon General and President's New Freedom Commission. In both reports, recovery is stipulated as the overarching goalof care and foundation for reforms at state and local levels. Little consensus exists regarding the nature of recovery in mental illness, however, or about the most effective ways to promote it. The authors offer a conceptual framework for distinguishing between various uses of the term, provide a definition of recovery in mental health. and conclude with a discussion of the implications of this concept for meaningful reform.