Recently embraced by consumers, families, providers, and the President’s New Freedom Commission for Mental Health, 2003.

Recovery can be defined as:

• Regaining meaningful social roles in society as one grows beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness.
• A deeply personal, unique process of changing one’s attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and/or roles.
• Maintaining as much freedom, independence and autonomy as possible, making as many decisions as possible for oneself

Recovery does not necessarily mean:

• The absence of symptoms
• The absence of need for medication or other therapies

Underlying assumptions of the Recovery Model:

• Recovery from severe psychiatric disabilities is achievable
• Recovery is not a function of one’s theory about the causes of mental illness
• Recovery requires a well-organized support system
• A holistic view of mental illness that focuses on the person, not just the symptoms