An Integrative Review of Recovery Services to Improve the Lives of Adults Living with Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

There is an increasing call for recovery-oriented services but few reviews have been undertaken regarding such interventions. This review aims to synthesize evidence on recovery services to improve the lives of adults living with severe mental illness. An integrative review methodology was used. We searched published literature from seven databases: Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus. Mixed-methods synthesis was used to analyse the data. Out of 40 included papers, 62.5% (25/40) used quantitative data, 32.5% used qualitative and 5% (2/40) used mixed methods. The participants in the included papers were mostly adults with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. This review identified three recovery-oriented services—integrated recovery services, individual placement services and recovery narrative photovoice and art making. The recovery-oriented services are effective in areas such as medication and treatment adherence, improving functionality, symptoms reduction, physical health and social behaviour, self-efficacy, economic empowerment, social inclusion and household integration. We conclude that mental health professionals are encouraged to implement the identified recovery services to improve the recovery goals of consumers.