Recovery Model

Key Points about Recovery

• Recovery involves accepting that one has a mental illness.
• Recovery is an attitude that makes it possible for one to believe that he or she can regain from losses caused by mental illness.
• Although recovery involves individual choices, attitudes and efforts, it also involves participation with others.
• Recovery is taking responsibility for understanding one's illness and for working on one's quality of life.
• Recovery requires on-going commitment to overcome setbacks and to continue trying to make life more productive and fun.
• Recovery includes grieving one's losses to the illness and refusing to stay stuck in "what might have been."
• Recovery means seeing one's self as a person, not just an illness or diagnosis, and redefining roles and relationships.

For additional information about recovery, visit the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse.