What recovery means for mental health services users in Catalonia

Abstract

In this study we explored the meaning of the recovery concept from the perspective of users of mental health services in Catalonia. We conducted five focus groups to collect the data, and we used grounded theory for the analysis. We identify eleven themes or topics around which participants organized their arguments. How people understand recovery are linked to the conceptual framework from which their ideas are derived: the biomedical model or the recovery paradigm. Some of these issues coincided with the CHIME model of the international framework of recovery-oriented public policies. The topics or themes which correspond to assumptions of the biomedical model generated conflicting perspectives and counterarguments. Participating in spaces for mutual support and mental health activism seems to promote the incorporation of the conceptual framework of the recovery paradigm.