4.1 Recovery
The concept of recovery acknowledges that the individual with mental health problems wants to have a meaningful and satisfying life, and it is the individual who defines for themselves what is meaningful and satisfying. With support from professionals, carers and fellow service users, the individual moves forward to attain their goals.
In their factsheet on recovery, Rethink [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] , a major mental health charity and campaigning organisation, describes recovery as having the following components:
- working towards your goals
- having hope for the future
- something you achieve for yourself
- being an ongoing process
- taking responsibility for one’s life.
(Source: adapted from Rethink, 2014)
This, of course, depends on what is realistic for each individual.