Recovery model in mental health nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recovery model in mental health nursing - Essay Example the Australian’s health minister endorsed a national framework for mental health services which uses recovery-oriented techniques (Australian Government Department of Health, 2013). However, as Oades (2012) writes, the use of recovery as a method of providing mental healthcare services has been in existence since the 1980s. The idea behind the recovery model is that it provides inspiration to people with mental illnesses and their families that mental illness can be cured. Ideally, mental illness should not be viewed as a lifelong process of gradual deterioration but as a condition that can be and is curable. According to the Australian Government Department of Health (2013), even people with the most serious cases of mental illnesses are treated as whole and equal members of the society. In this case, people with mental illnesses have every right to access basic citizenship rights such as independent living, access to employment opportunities, and the formation of social relationships (Oades, 2012). The recovery model, therefore, urges mental health patients to change their attitudes and feelings and embrace the thought that they can live deeply satisfying lives even with their condition. The concept of recovery enables people with mental illnesses to live fulfilling lives with the help of mental health nurses who are charged with the responsibility of strengthening and empowering these patients (NSW Consumer Advisory Group, 2009). Essentially, the patients are the ones who come up with their recovery plan and the nurses only provide the necessary conditions for the growth and development of the individual towards recovery. Recovery is, therefore, considered as a subjective experience that is solely defined by the person with mental illness. The patient is required to build a meaningful life in which the patient is able to live in a community of their choosing regardless of their mental condition. Recovery is usually unique to an individual in that it depends