Recovery, self management and the expert patient – Changing the culture of mental health from a UK perspective

Background: Self management approaches with mental health problems have been developing recently through condition-specific courses, e.g., the Manic Depression Fellowship Course, Rethink Self Management Course and generic courses, e.g., the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) and the Expert Patient Programme. These approaches have been service user led and developed and are now beginning to be taken seriously by mental health professionals.Aims: To trace the development of recovery and self management approaches in the UK and abroad and to explore whether self management models transferred from physical health are helpful for mental health.Results: Programmes for recovery derived from physical illnesses cannot be implemented in mental health without some changes and disorder specific self management programmes are complementary rather than alternatives. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. In particular, models which are professionally led are not only less attractive to service users but also seem to “lend responsibility” rather than sharing it.Conclusion: Self management models derived from a recovery model and service users' experiences may have more value than models derived from physical health.Declaration of interest: None.