"I live, I don't work, but I live a very normal life"—A qualitative interview study of Scandinavian user experiences of schizophrenia, antipsychotic medication, and personal recovery processes.

Purpose: To illuminate user experiences of schizophrenia, reasons for receiving antipsychotic medication, and encounters with mental health services. Design and Methods: 24 semistructured qualitative research interviews with schizophrenia patients treated with 3‐monthly paliperidone palmitate across Scandinavia were synthesized in qualitative content analysis. Findings: Participants describe considerable challenges in everyday functioning. Simultaneously, they rate their current mental and physical well‐being high and seem satisfied with their lives. These pathways indicate personal recovery. Practice Implications: The participants emphasize the importance of trustful relations with healthcare professionals, therapeutic conversations, antipsychotic medication in a 3‐monthly formulation, and support from relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]