Complete mental health recovery: bridging mental illness with positive mental health

Published date15 March 2011
Pages57-69
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/17465721111134556
Date15 March 2011
AuthorHelene L. Provencher,Corey L.M. Keyes
Subject MatterHealth & social care
Evaluation
Complete mental health recovery: bridging
mental illness with positive mental health
Helene L. Provencher and Corey L.M. Keyes
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose that the study, and the promotion, of recovery can be
augmented by adopting the model of mental health as a complete state.
Design/methodology/approach – A literature review of the last two decades was undertaken and
pathways to complete mental health in recovery are proposed.
Findings – More work is needed to further develop interventions oriented towards the promotion of
positive mental health in recovery, targeting the enhancement of positive emotions towards life and a
sense of fulfillment in private and social life. Positive mental health also deserves more research attention
to assess the full range of recovery outcomes related to the restoration and optimization processes.
A better understanding of individual and environmental factors facilitating or hindering the achievement
of complete mental health in recovery is warranted as well.
Originality/value – Unlike previous conceptions, the model presented in the paper proposes to
redefine recovery from the complete view of mental health and introduces positive mental health as an
additional outcome of recovery.
Keywords Mental illness, Quality of life
Paper type General review
Mental health, as more than the absence of mental illness and involving the presence of
subjective well-being as well, is a view that has been represented in the scientific literature for
more than half a century (Jahoda, 1958; The World Health Organization, 1948). However, this
complete vision of mental health remained undefined, unmeasured and therefore largely
ignored for several decades. Recently, a new approach has been developed for evaluating
states of complete mental health, including criteria for combining indicators of mental illness
and positive mental health (i.e. subjective well-being). This has been used to study the model
of complete mental health, also called the two continua model (Keyes, 2005a, 2007). Overall,
this line of research has demonstrated the independence of mental illness and positive
mental health, representing two separate continua rather than the opposite ends of a single
continuum. This implies that experiencing less mental illness does not necessarily equate
with experiencing better positive mental health and also highlights the possibility of achieving
a high level of positive mental health despite the presence of enduring psychiatric symptoms
and deficits.
Over thelast two decades, recoveryhas become the overarchingaim of mental health services
systemsin many countries, Australia,New Zealand, England, Scotlandand the USA to name a
few (Sladeet al., 2008). An extensivebody of literature on recoveryhas emerged from narrative
studies (Silverstein and Bellack,2008) and numerous publishedpersonal accounts (Ridgway,
2001; Spaniol and Koehler, 1994). This has provided a better understanding of personaland
DOI 10.1108/17465721111134556 VOL. 10 NO. 1 2011, pp. 57-69, QEmerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729
j
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH
j
PAGE 57
Helene L. Provencher is
based in the Faculty of
Nursing, Laval University,
Quebec, Canada.
Corey L.M. Keyes is based
in the Department of
Sociology, Emory
University, Atlanta,
Georgia, USA.

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