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Psychosis
can be positive, accepts the body which drives forward mental health
policy
February
15, 2005
by Mike Andrews
Psychosis can be a positive experience in some way, the body which
drives forward mental health policy in England has acknowledged.
Such
a recognition by the government's national institute for mental
health in England (NIMHE) may be disputed by some mental health
professionals.
But
it is likely to be welcomed by critics of the predominant medical
model within mental health.
The recognition of the valuable component to psychosis was made
in a NIMHE 'guiding statement' which listed six definitions of 'recovery'
in mental health.
The
statement - released on Monday - is a bid to contribute to the development
of recovery-oriented mental health services.
One
of NIMHE's definitions of recovery is the "act of obtaining
usable resources from apparently unusable sources (e.g. in prolonged
psychosis where the experience itself has intrinsic personal value)"
NIMHE
- headed by the mental health tsar Professor Louis Appleby - said
it recognises recovery is a concept introduced mainly by people
who have recovered from mental health problems, and who prefer not
to describe their experience in medical terms.
NIMHE's
guiding
statement read: "Taken together, these six meanings suggest
a broad vision of recovery that involves a process of changing one’s
orientation and behaviour from a negative focus on a troubling event,
condition or circumstance to the positive restoration, rebuilding,
reclaiming or taking control of one’s life."
The six NIMHE meanings for recovery are:
1)
A return to a state of wellness (e.g., following an
episode of depression)
2)
Achievement of a personally acceptable quality of
life (e.g., following an episode of psychosis)
3)
A process or period of recovering (e.g. following
trauma)
4)
A process of gaining or restoring something (e.g.
one’s sobriety)
5)
An act of obtaining usable resources from
apparently unusable sources (e.g. in prolonged
psychosis where the experience itself has intrinsic
personal value)
6)
To recover optimum quality of life and have
satisfaction with life in disconnected circumstances
(e.g. dementia).
Read for
yourself:
The
National Institute for Mental Health in England's guiding statement
on recovery (pdf)
Feb
22, 2005 - Emerging Best Practices In Mental Health Recovery (pdf)
- National Institute for Mental Health "poster" to "define
and enhance" how mental health services can encourage recovery
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