An exploration of personal recovery in mental health service users
This project is being led by Suresearch Member, Jo Barber. Introducing the project here, Jo writes:
“I am a long term service user, but a doctor by background. From my own experience and that of many I have met along the way, I am passionate about the experience of recovery from the service user viewpoint, something I call ‘personal recovery’, and the potential importance of spiritual issues to facilitate this journey. I am working closely on this research project with Ann Davis and others from Suresearch, together with people from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust. The Inpatient care forum subgroup from Suresearch is acting as a steering group for the research. Our aim is to investigate the whole process of personal recovery for mental health service users.
Our project is inspired by two linked evidence-based concepts:
- The idea that service users often have a different view of their own recovery from that of the clinicians looking after them. Some do not feel they are recovering despite being considered well by clinical staff.
- The idea that many service users have spiritual needs which are not met by routine clinical interventions. Here, the spiritual refers to whatever gives meaning and purpose to life, whether or not it includes a specific religious faith.
We put these concepts together by hypothesizing that many of those people who are struggling with their personal recovery have, in fact, unmet spiritual needs. The aim of our work is to more fully understand the personal recovery journey, how it relates to clinical symptoms, what inhibits it, what promotes it and why some experience it less than others.”
You can read and download the full report by Jo here:
An exploration of personal recovery in mental health service users – Jo Barber
Jo refers to the following additional articles and protocols: