An Empowerment Model of Recovery From Severe Mental
Illness: An Expert Interview With
Daniel B. Fisher, MD, PhD
Editor's Note: Randall White, MD,
interviewed Daniel B. Fisher, MD, PhD,
Executive Director of the National Empowerment Center in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Medscape: In
your publication "Personal Assistance in Community Existence: A Recovery Guide," you write that the
recovery model emphasizes
that emotional distress is a temporary disruption in life.[1] Can you elaborate?
Dr. Fisher:
The most important finding in our research is that people who have shown significant or complete recovery
from severe mental illness -
- by that I mean schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or schizoaffective disorder -- have cited hope
as an extraordinarily
important component in their recovery. Part of the recovery was being around people who saw their condition
as not permanent, a condition
from which they could take increasing control of their life and reestablish a place in
society.