Understanding everyday life and mental health recovery through CHIME
| Pages | 271-279 |
| Published date | 13 November 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/MHSI-08-2017-0034 |
| Date | 13 November 2017 |
| Author | Myra Piat,Kimberly Seida,Judith Sabetti |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Social inclusion |
Understanding everyday life and mental
health recovery through CHIME
Myra Piat, Kimberly Seida and Judith Sabetti
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to understand how daily life reflects the recovery journeys of
individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) living independently in the community.
Design/methodology/approach –The go-along technique, which blends participant observation and
interviewing, was used to gather data from 19 individuals with SMI living in supported housing. Data were
analyzed through the CHIME framework of personal recovery, which includes social connectedness, hope
and optimism, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment.
Findings –Applying the CHIME framework to qualitative data reveals the multiple ways in which everyday
experiences,within and beyond formal mental healthcare environments,shapes personal recovery processes.
Research limitations/implications –Combining novel methods and conceptual frameworks to lived
experiences sharpens extant knowledge of the active and non-linear aspects to personal recovery. The role of
the researcher must be critically considered when using go-along methods.
Practical implications –Practitioners working with this population should account for the role of socially
supportive and financially accessible spaces and activities that support the daily work of recovery beyond the
context of formal care and services.
Originality/value –This study utilizes an innovative method to illustrate the crucial role of daily and seemingly
banal experiences in fostering or hindering personal recovery processes. It is also the one of the first studies
to comprehensively apply the CHIME framework to qualitative data in order to understand the recovery
journeys of individuals with SMI living in supported housing.
Keywords Housing, Mental health, Personal recovery, CHIME, Go-along
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Mental health research utilizing the recovery concept has been marked by deep debates and
conceptual confusion (Harper and Speed, 2012). While originally referring to a linear process whereby
individuals recovered from mental illness and resumed “normal lives”(Pilgrim and McCranie, 2013),
more recent definitions of the concept stress its processual and non-linear aspects, where recovery is
both a journey, and an active way of maintaining wellbeing (Tew et al., 2015). Personal recovery is
further conceptualized as the potential for attaining a self-directed, fulfilling life despite the impediments
of mental illness (Davidson et al., 2005). Responding to the ambiguity surrounding personal recovery,
Leamy et al. (2011) conducted a systematic review to develop a conceptual framework of personal
recovery. The CHIME consists of five interrelated processes: connectedness, hope and optimism,
identity, meaning in life, and empowerment. Connectedness refers to relationships, support from
others, and community participation; hope and optimism relate to positive thinking, having dreams
and aspirations; identity includes rebuilding a positive sense of identity and overcoming stigma;
meaning in life takes in quality of life, meanings assigned to the unique experience of mental illness, as
well as social roles and goals. Finally, empowerment assumes a degree of control over life and
personal responsibility (Leamy et al., 2011; Bird et al., 2014).
Research on personal recovery increasingly uses standardized recovery measures (Salzer and
Brusilovskiy, 2014), and addresses some components of CHIME, such as hope (Schrank et al., 2012),
or connectedness, identity and empowerment (Tew et al., 2012). An entire field of study centers on
Myra Piat is a Researcher at the
Department of Psychiatry,
Douglas Mental Health
University Institute, Montreal,
Canada; and is at the
Department of Psychiatry,
Faculty of Medicine, McGill
University, Montreal, Canada.
Kimberly Seida is based at the
Department of Sociology,
Faculty of Arts, McGill
University, Montreal, Canada.
Judith Sabetti is based in
Montreal, Canada.
DOI 10.1108/MHSI-08-2017-0034 VOL. 21 NO. 5 2017, pp. 271-279, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2042-8308
j
MENTALHEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION
j
PAG E 27 1
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