“I do want to stop, at least I think I do”: An international comparison of recovery from nonsuicidal self-injury among young people

Phenomenological and cultural understandings of recovery from the perspective of individuals who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) are rare. The primary study objective was to understand similarities across three samples in (a) how young people define recovery from NSSI and (b) what they consider helpful approaches taken by parents and professionals to assist their recovery. […]

A missing piece in the puzzle: Exploring the phenomenon of suicide recovery in developing a recovery-focused suicide management program

The primary aim of suicidology is to understand the phenomenon of suicide by increasing its predictability and prevention to reduce the suicide rate. However, the rate of suicide remained obstinately high. This phenomenological study explored the different perspectives of 5 suicide attempt survivors and 7 mental health professionals on suicide recovery and its process. Phenomenological […]

Strengths-based approach for mental health recovery

Many health systems have traditionally adopted a view of mental disorders based on pathologies and the risk individuals have towards mental disorders. However, with this approach, mental disorders continue to cost billions a year for the healthcare system. This paper aimed to introduce and explore what the strengths-based approach is in the psychiatric arena. Strengths-based […]

Recovery in mental health: Reshaping scientific and clinical responsibilities

Recovery is widely endorsed as a guiding principle of mental health policy. Recovery brings new rules for services, e.g. user involvement and person-centred care, as well as new tools for clinical collaborations, e.g. shared decision making and psychiatric advance directives. These developments are complemented by new proposals regarding more ethically consistent anti-discrimination and involuntary treatment […]

Perspectives of service users and carers with lived experience of a diagnosis of personality disorder: A qualitative study

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: There is limited understanding of the experience of people with complex mental health (CMH) needs, including those with a diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) and carers of those individuals. Little is known about carers of those in inpatient forensic settings, yet it has been identified that they may have additional needs when compared to […]

Toward an Alberta model of wellness: Recommendations from the Alberta Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Council

Outlines the recommendations of the Alberta Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Council, which was appointed in November 2019 to provide recommendations to improve access to recovery-oriented care and better support Albertans who need help to get on their path to recovery.

Functional impairment, internalized stigma, and well-being: Considerations for recovery-oriented suicide prevention for U.S. Veterans with serious mental illness

Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers (PRRCs) provide recovery-oriented care to veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). As part of program evaluation, PRRC providers regularly assess recovery-oriented outcomes. Given the high rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among veterans with SMI, understanding such outcomes in relation to suicide risk is crucial. Among […]

Feasibility and acceptability on continuous identity cognitive therapy as a recovery-oriented suicide treatment for veterans: A study protocol

Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death among Veterans, with rates significantly higher than the general population. To address this issue, it is crucial to develop and implement more effective treatments for Veterans with suicidal thoughts and/or behaviors, particularly those in the post-acute suicidal episode (PASE) stage. The present study aims to establish the […]

Factors associated with achieving complete mental health among individuals with lifetime suicidal ideation

This study investigated factors associated with complete mental health among a nationally representative sample of Canadians with a history of depression by conducting secondary analysis of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey- Mental Health (n=20,955). Complete mental health was defined as 1) the absence of mental illness, substance abuse, or suicidal ideation in the past […]

Understanding protective factors for men at risk for suicide using the CHIME Framework: The primacy of relational connectedness

Suicide is a global problem, ranking among the leading causes of death in many countries across the world. Most people who die by suicide are “under the radar”, having never seen a mental health professional or been diagnosed with a mental illness. This article describes the protective factors for men experiencing suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or […]

A novel recovery-based suicide prevention program in upstate New York

Suicide prevention efforts have focused primarily on screening, education, and brief interventions rather than on treatment of underlying vulnerabilities. The Psychiatry High Risk Program (PHRP) is a specialized outpatient program for suicidal youths and young adults that facilitates transitions in care and provides comprehensive treatment aimed at healing and recovery. The authors evaluated the program’s […]

Development and psychometric properties of the Functioning and Recovery Scale: A new measure to assess psychosocial functioning after a suicide attempt

Objective Few measures have been developed to assess the efficacy of community-based suicide prevention and recovery services. The current study aimed to develop a scale to provide accurate assessment and monitoring of functional recovery for people following a recent suicide attempt at The Way Back Support Service in Australia. Method The study was conducted in […]

Guidelines for recovery-oriented practice: Hope dignity inclusion

The Guidelines have been written to provide a comprehensive Canadian reference document for understanding recovery and to promote a consistent application of recovery principles. They seek to build a common understanding, shared language and knowledge about recovery in order to: Provide a conceptual framework to help transform culture and practice. Promote the centrality of supporting […]

Evaluating a recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program for veterans at risk for suicide

Background: Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and suicide risk is elevated among military veterans. Risk for suicide is inherently transdiagnostic, complex, and multifaceted, which means a comprehensive psychotherapeutic approach to risk mitigation is required. Aims: Our aims were to summarize findings from an evaluation of an interdisciplinary, recovery-oriented intensive outpatient program […]

‘It’s really about wellbeing’: A Canadian investigation of harm reduction as a bridge between mental health and addiction recovery

Recovery is a key concept driving system transformation in both the addiction and mental health sectors, with shared roots in advocacy and a shared focus on hope in the face of stigma, self-determination and meaningful lives. Nevertheless, while mental health recovery is possible even with on-going symptoms, addiction recovery generally starts with or leads to […]

Evaluation of the Recovery Engagement and Coordination for Health-Veterans Enhanced Treatment suicide risk modeling clinical program in the veterans health administration

Objective  To determine associations with treatment engagement, health care utilization, suicide attempts, safety plan documentation, and 6-month mortality. Design, Setting, and Participants  This cohort study used triple differences analyses comparing 6-month changes in outcomes after vs before program entry for individuals entering the REACH VET program (March 2017-December 2018) vs a similarly identified top 0.1% suicide risk […]

Suicide-related disclosure: Implications for inclusion and recovery

Purpose People who have lived experiences with suicide often struggle with concealable stigmatized identities that threaten their inclusion and recovery. While disclosure of a stigmatized identity can promote support and recovery and therefore prevent suicide, it may also present distinct risks. The purpose of this paper is to summarize key issues in suicide-related disclosure, suggest […]

Experiences of a recovery-oriented caring approach to suicidal behavior: A single-case study

Research considering the basis for mental health nurses wanting to enable recovery among people who suffer from suicidal behavior is sparse. The aim of this study is to explore and evaluate how a new recovery-oriented caring approach (ROCA) was experienced by a suicidal patient in a context of close relatives and nurses. A single-case study […]

Recovery from past suicide attempts: Correlates of time since the last attempt in a national sample of US adults

Background This study takes a lifetime perspective on suicide attempts and examines correlates of years since the last attempt as a potential proxy for recovery from suicidality. Methods Data from 36,309 adults in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III were used to identify 1,924 respondents (5.3%) who reported a lifetime suicide attempt. […]

Factors associated with recovery in Aboriginal people in Canada who had previously been suicidal

To explore factors associated with recovery from suicidal ideation among Aboriginal peoples living off reserve in Canada. Recovery is defined as being free of serious suicidal thoughts for the past year. Data for this study came from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, a nationally representative sample of Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are living off-reserve. […]

Storytelling of suicide attempt recovery and its relationship with mental health treatment-seeking attitudes and behaviors: An experimental study

Objective: This experimental study investigated if watching a brief video detailing an individual’s recovery following a suicide attempt increased college student mental health treatment-seeking attitudes and resource engagement more than viewing a psychoeducational video about suicide. Participants: Undergraduate student participants (N = 218) completed the study online. Methods: Participants were randomized to see either the storytelling or one of two narrated psychoeducation […]

Self-injury age of onset: A risk factor for NSSI severity and suicidal behavior

This study replicates and extends prior work by examining how age of Non Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) onset relates to NSSI severity, suicidal behavior, perceived recovery from NSSI, and protective factors of life satisfaction, resilience, and subjective happiness. University students who reported engaging in NSSI within the past year (n = 644) completed on-line questionnaires assessing NSSI characteristics, […]

“I think I am worth it. I can give up committing suicide”: Pathways to recovery for Chinese-Canadian women with a history of suicidal behaviour

This qualitative study explored the experiences and patterns of recovery of Chinese-born women living in Canada with a history of suicidal behaviour. It explores a number of dimensions of recovery including clinical, existential, functional, physical, and social. The women described engaging in “survival” recovery in the short term and “thriving” recovery in the long term, […]