CONSUMER AFFAIRS BULLETIN
Volume 2, No. 2 Summer 1997

Recovery Project

by Daniel Fisher, MD ,PhD and Patricia Deegan, Ph.D.

Recovery. Until recently the term referred to recovery from drugs and alcohol. Surely it did not apply to mental illness which has been by definition a condition from which people are stabilized but do not recover. Given this pessimism regarding recovery from mental illness it is not surprising that there had been few studies of the phenomenon. In recent years, however, hundreds of personal testimonies (Chamberlin, Deegan, and Fisher) and epidemiological studies (Harding, Strauss, Bleuler, and Ciompi) have exploded the myth that people do not recover.

These results have prompted the Center for Mental Health Studies to fund a one year study by the National Empowerment Center on a variety of aspects of recovery from mental illness. To date a National Consumer/Survivor Advisory Committee has been assembled and its advice sought through a teleconference. The MADNESS list on the Internet was used to gain additional advice. Other researchers who do not self-identify as consumer/survivors were consulted. It was decided from these sources that in depth interviews with a representative sample of people in various stages of recovery using open ended questions would be a good place to start. Over 30 interviews have been conducted and are now being analyzed for trends. We have been consistently impressed by people's willingness to be interviewed. This enthusiasm may partially stem from interviewees' wish to help others to recover through their example and their tools. We would welcome any stories people in recovery would like to share with us, especially a description of the factors you have found useful in your recovery. For more information contact: the National Empowerment Center at 1-800-769-3728.

Consumer Affairs Bulletin
Volume 2, No. 2 Summer 1997