We were glad to meet our partners during the learning activity in Zagreb, Croatia from 6th to 9th of July 2022
The Klinika za psihijatriju Vrapce, as the leading partner of the Intellectual output 2, presented the final v
ersion of “The Blended Training Material on Recovery for Adults with Depression or Psychosis”.
During a study visit to UPH Vrapče’s Museum of Psychiatry, the progress in psychiatric practice and the need to further implement the concept of Recovery was highlighted. In the field of psychiatry, recovery has been historically used to refer to the end of a particular experience or episode of illness. However, the broader concept of “recovery” as a general philosophy and model was popularized first in regard to recovery from substance abuse/drug addiction, such as within twelve-step programs.
Application of recovery models to psychiatric disorders like depression or psychosis is a relatively recent development. The concept of recovery can be traced back to as early as 1840 when John Perceval, son of one of Britain’s prime ministers, wrote about his personal recovery from the psychosis he experienced from 1830 until 1832, despite the “treatment” he received from doctors.
The development of the recovery concept in the mental health field was mainly driven by the consumer movement, a grassroots self-help and advocacy initiative, particularly within the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s. From the early 1990s, the professional literature, starting with the psychiatric rehabilitation movement in particular, began to incorporate the concept in the United States, followed by New Zealand and more recently across nearly all countries. The Zagreb short-term joint staff training event also covered topics like Protection of Mental Health as a Public Health Priority, Self-stigma Prevention Program, and Media Guidelines.
