Mental Illness Services: A Recovery-Oriented Approach

Running head: MENTAL ILLNESS SERVICES
Mental Illness Services
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Author Note

1MENTAL ILLNESS SERVICES
A lived experience is defined as any incident that a person encounters directly by
enduring it and later discloses about it. The similar context can be applied in case of mental
illness, people who have suffered for a long time in mental illness and recovered as well as lived
to tell the truth (Van Manen, 2016). Mental illnesses are probably the most stigmatized of all
known clinical condition that patients go through. According to the factsheets provided by
World Health Organization (WHO), one out of four people in this world have some form of
mental illness which needs to be clinically diagnosed. 300 million people all over the world are
affected by depression, 60 million people have bipolar disorder, 50 million people have
developed dementia and about 23 million people are affected by schizophrenia and other
associated psychoses (Mental disorders, 2018). This kind of health issues directly affects other
physical abilities and can lead to deeper and severe clinical conditions, which is why the
government of Australia is trying their best to overcome the issues regarding mental health and
create awareness amongst the general population regarding the treatment of such condition
(Department of Health | A National framework for recovery-oriented mental health services:
guide for practitioners and providers, 2013).
In any form of illness or ailment, recovery can be possible with the help of medical
science. Physical illnesses are a little easier to handle than mental illness, as mental illness is a
complex form of ailment, which is associated with psychological and neurological complications
that have influence on one’s altered behaviour (Insel & Wang, 2010). Therefore, the approach to
these illnesses are sometimes more psychological than pharmaceutical. The aim of such recovery
procedures are aimed to achieve their mental health mainly, as well as teach them to lead to a
self directed life and achieve their complete potential. The concept of recovery-oriented
approach in mental illnesses, is different from other variants of treatment, which takes into the

2MENTAL ILLNESS SERVICES
account the personal experience of the patient as well their family’s experience to provided a
more personalized patient care (Slade et al., 2014). It is essential to address the unique condition
of the patient and recognise the problem in a personalised care form. It is also a duty of the
caregiver to provide the choices for the patient to make them feel as a same part of the society
and give them confidence to return to the sanity (Tondora et al., 2014). It is essential to make the
patient feel empowered so they can take reality-based decisions in life, which would be a step
further in the recovery procedure. The patients need to encouraged and supported to help them
take creative decisions and take up opportunities, which would expose their uniqueness. The
third essential aspect of recover-oriented care, is addressing the basic right and improve their
attitude in life (Tondora et al., 2014). It is important to listen to the patient’s concerns and learn
from their experiences, which would help to actively participate in communication processes and
gather knowledge about every patient individually. It is important to make them aware of their
basic human and citizenship rights so that they are not violated and taken advantage of their
vulnerabilities. This will help the patient to secure their future and self-protection from unjust
violation (Drew et al., 2011). Fourthly, it is important to maintain dignity and respect the patient
regardless of their mental condition. The caregiver is expected to be respectful, courteous and
provide honesty in their duty for treatment. It is important to respect the socio-cultural beliefs of
the patient and showing any such discrimination or stigmatisation is considered unprofessional
concerning ethical values (Martin, 2010). The fifth important point in the recovery oriented
health practice is considering the patient-caregiver relationship as a partnership in which both
parties will have equal rights and importance. This form of partnership is important to establish
patient centric communication, which will establish the platform for the treatment. It is important
to consider the patient as a master of their life and the professional can only offer advice and