Is Recovery Possible in a Forensic Hospital Setting?

Abstract

Since the World Health Organization, 2005 World Health Organization Mental Health Declaration for Europe: Facing the challenges, building solutions. http://www.euro.who.int/documents/mnh/edoc06.pdfDate: 2005 Google Scholar identified the need to “design and implement...mental health systems that promote...recovery (p.2)," and recovery has become the single most important goal in the transformation of the mental health care in America ( Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2006 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National consensus statement on mental health recovery. http://www.samhsa.gov/Date: 2006 Google Scholar ), there has been confusion in hospital settings as to whether recovery is even possible. When looking at forensic psychiatric settings, the picture becomes even more confusing. Both clinicians and persons in recovery struggle with how to implement components of recovery in forensic settings, i.e., how to formulate and implement recovery-oriented plans in settings where, by nature, the person's admission to the program is not self-directed.