Measuring recovery as an outcome

Summary Background: As the concept of recovery has become increasingly popular in mental health treatment settings, professionals have attempted to measure recovery as an outcome. Aims: This article reviews the history of the concept of recovery and recent attempts to measure recovery as an outcome. Results: The concept of recovery, as developed by people who experienced mental health problems, emphasizes the process of learning to live a meaningful life in spite of vulnerabilities and symptoms. Traditional outcome studies assess recovery as cure or return to premorbid functioning, not in this new sense of developing quality of life. Newer measures attempt to assess the process and outcomes of recovery, but with minimal consistency, reflecting the heterogeneity of definitions, populations, and programs. Attempts to measure recovery may, nevertheless, move the mental health system, programs, and professionals closer to understanding and honoring the ideals of recovery that are so meaningful to service users.