A Recovery Journey for People with Personality Disorder

Background: The study investigates the process of recovery for people diagnosed with personlaity disorder, a client group that suffers significant social exclusion known to impact on demand for health and other public services. It aims to examine efforts which ateempt to reverse this social exclusion as an aspect of the recovery process. Aims and methods: the following study aims to i) explore what recovery means to people with personality disorder ii) develop a conceptual model of recovery in personality disorder iii) evaluate the contribution of the setting (The Haven) to recovery practice. The study uses a PAR (Participatory Action research) design. Data was collected from 66 participants by focus groups and individual interviews. Findings: A map based on thematic analysis of data collected during the study is proposed of the recovery journey for people with this diagnosis, shown as a pyramid which represents a hierarchy of progress from building trust through stages of recovery to social inclusion. Conclusion: Findings offer contributions to knowledge in terms of the service design and propose a new model of recovery in personality disorder. This is defined as a journey of small steps highlighting recovery as a process rather than a goal, leading to the emergence of the new concept of Transitional Recovery.