Seven Characteristics of Those Who Have Recovered

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I am often asked to describe the characteristics of a person who has recovered from mental illness. Such a description is not supplied by the mental health system because the usual belief in the system is that people do not recover from mental illness. It is timely to come up with a description of the characteristics of person who has recovered because the concept has now gained validity, especially with its appearance in the vision statement of the New Freedom Commission report. The following elements have evolved from our research at the empowerment center, the literature, and numerous focus groups I have conducted in the last 10 years:

Seven Characteristics of a Person Who has Recovered from Mental Illness[*] Makes their own decisions in collaboration with other supportive people outside the mental health system [*] Has a meaningful and fulfilling network of friends outside the mental health professionals [*] Has achieved a major social role/identity other than consumer (such as student, parent, worker) [*] Medication is one tool among many freely chosen by the individual to assist in their day to day life (used as the chronically normals use medication) [*] Capable of expressing and understanding emotions to such a degree that the person can cope with severe emotional distress without it interrupting their social role and without them being labeled symptoms [*] A Global Assessment of Functioning Scale score of greater than 61: “functioning pretty well, some meaningful interpersonal relationships and ‘most untrained people would not consider him sick’ ” [*] Sense of self is defined by oneself through life experience and interaction with peers

Source: What Are the Characteristics of a Person Who has Recovered from Mental Illness?