Challenges on the road to personal recovery in Latin America

Abstract

The recovery approach proposes a substantial change towards a more holistic perspective that takes into account social needs in mental health. It is a guiding principle in the development of services and research, a lens through which to look at mental health. This article describes four main challenges on the way to the development of a recovery culture in Latin America: Paying attention to local culture; recognizing and encouraging the contribution of users; reducing the emphasis on the diagnostic classification, and paving the way for social justice. Optimal health services can be achieved by combining the knowledge of professionals and high- quality scientific research, with local popular knowledge and the experience of users.