First person narratives: is there anything new in them for a mental health proffessional?

Abstract

Recovery narratives and first-person accounts of people living with mental disorders are not really new. Nevertheless, scarce attention has been paid to them by mental health professionals. What is it like to live with a mental disorder, receive a diagnosis, or hide previous experiences of treatment in mental health centers or with psychiatric medication in the context of a job interview or trying to start a relationship with another person? What is it like to learn new coping strategies, to be able to contribute to society and to assume an identity that neither denies the pathology nor is reduced to it? These narratives are analysed in order to stablishboth the novelty in their production, and who and how could benefit from them. In addition, mental health professionals could challenge their illusions based on the continuous bias of working with people during the exacerbation of their symptoms, but barely seeing those who have been able to make significant progress in their recovery processes.