recovery model

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a conceptual framework in mental health care that defines recovery not as the elimination of symptoms or return to a pre-illness baseline, but as a deeply personal process of building a meaningful and satisfying life despite or alongside the ongoing challenge of mental health difficulties; the recovery model, developed from the consumer-survivor movement and researchers like William Anthony, emphasises hope, agency, identity beyond the patient role, meaning, and social connection as the central dimensions of recovery; it challenges the traditional medical model's focus on symptom management and professional expertise, positioning the person with lived experience as the expert on their own life; recovery-oriented mental health systems develop services that support self-determination, peer connection, and community participation rather than compliance with treatment and maintenance of functional stability alone