Lived experiences of personal recovery among individuals with severe mental illnesses: an interpretative phenomenology approach

BACKGROUND: Personal recovery is a self-broadening process aimed at living a meaningful life beyond severe mental illnesses. Although personal recovery has become a well-known concept in most Western countries, it remains under-recognized in non-Western countries. In China, personal recovery is situated within a heterogeneously developed community mental health system in which family-based care and neighborhood governance jointly structure access to resources and opportunities for social participation, limiting the transferability of recovery frameworks derived from Western or diasporic Chinese settings. Therefore, the current study aimed to explore the experiences and meanings of personal recovery for individuals living with severe mental illnesses in China. METHODS: Twelve participants were selected by purposive sampling from four community mental health centers for face-to-face interviews. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these participants. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. RESULTS: Five themes were identified: (1) Reintegration within Society, (2) Personal Responsibility within Family, (3) Engagement with Reality, (4) Regaining a Sense of Control, and (5) Reconstructing Meaning in Life. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that established personal recovery frameworks are applicable to adults living with severe mental illness in China, while identifying context-specific themes. In the context of China, the recovery of individuals living with severe mental illness has been shown to priorities the significance of social reintegration and the role of family responsibility.