Recovery

Abstract

Abstract There is a great deal of interest in the concept of recovery in mental health circles. While some indicate it can never happen for people who are seriously mentally ill, others say improvement can take place, and still others insist that people can fully recover. The following review of literature on recovery provides definitions of recovery from the writings of those who have lived it, and describes studies that show people do recover and how people recover. There is vast and growing literature on recovery, both published and unpublished, of which this article is only an introduction. The overwhelming conclusion from both those who have lived recovery and those who have tried to systematically study it is: that recovery is possible, and that it takes both individual determination and the support of others in order to be accomplished.