Psychiatric rehabilitation, classically thought of as part of tertiary prevention, is an important and underexamined aspect of psychiatric care. Rehabilitation can be thought of as the broad umbrella of modern medical care that is increasingly focused on the long-term care of disease and illness rather than emergency intervention. When we prescribe statins, remove cataracts, replace failing joints, or initiate psychotherapy, we are engaged in restoring and sustaining patients to their best level of function and well-being in their family and community. The entire health care team works under the rehabilitation umbrella. The team establishes the plan and goals to achieve a patient’s maximum potential. The composition of the team varies with each patient, but the patient and his or her family are always members
In addition, in the Perspective section, Dilip Jeste addresses another aspect of care that is often forgotten: how decisions are made. Supported Decision Making (SDM) is a valuable addition to the recovery and rehabilitation process for those with serious mental illness.
Looking through the lenses of rehabilitation and decision making in serious mental illness can inform our treatments and goals, strengthening our ability to help those for whom we care.