Abstract

Introduction: Psychiatric/psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) is a set of practices aimed at facilitating the recovery of people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) such as schizophrenia. This paper reviews the history and foundations of PSR.

Methods: A selective literature search using ERIC, Psychinfo and Medline from 1970 to 2012 was conducted with input from leading experts in the field of PSR to produce a narrative review.

Results: PSR emerged as a significant field of practice and study during the 1970s and 1980s, in part as a response to the policy of deinstitutionalization which resulted in the discharge of large numbers of state hospital patients to unsupportive communities. In the last twenty years, the notion that individuals with psychiatric disabilities could recover, transitioned from an optimistic belief to an empirical understanding of the progress that could be made. Recovery emerged as an appropriate mission for services, consistent with progress in PSR development and implementation. This emphasis on promoting the ability of individuals with psychiatric disabilities to claim or reclaim a meaningful life, makes PSR services focused on success and satisfaction in valued roles, an even more critical component of a comprehensive mental health service system.

Conclusion: Considerable agreement has developed about PSR’s fundamental philosophy, principles and values along with a significant body of research that informed the development of its practices, provider training and pre-service preparation based on a set of distinct evidence-informed interventions and other practices that providers and administrators across disciplines can and do use to help individuals with serious mental illnesses reach their recovery goals.

Keywords: Serious mental illnesses, Psychiatric disability, Psychiatric rehabilitation, Foundations.