Narratives and recovery from negative symptoms in psychosis – a co-constructive study

Abstract

Recovery is a hot topic in current psychosis literature. However, popular models on recovery, like CHIME-DTAR, fail to address the relationship with factors that might hamper recovery, like experiencing negative symptoms. This study explores how narratives can play a role in recovery from negative symptoms. As a mixed team of researchers, some with lived experience of psychosis, others with a background in clinical psychology or special needs education, we co-constructed an understanding of how narratives played a role in the experiences of Pete and Tanguy. Two major themes stood out: narratives can serve as points of support; and the importance of claiming ownership over your own narrative practice. The authors conclude that recovery can be promoted by creating opportunities for service users to articulate personal narratives and get recognition for these. Our collaborative approach not only highlighted these aspects, but also provided an opportunity for articulating narratives.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• This article explores how narratives can play a role in the recovery from negative symptoms of psychosis.

• This study is the result of a collaboration between researchers with and without lived experience of psychosis.

• Developing a personal narrative practice can help to regain a grip on life and as such to get out of a crisis. Narratives are especially helpful when you are able to claim ownership/authorship of them.

• Current mental health care still too often fails to recognize service users as active meaning making subjects, but rather approaches them as passive recipients of care. We believe such an attitude might unwittingly promote negative symptoms.

• Creating opportunities to develop and get recognition for one’s narratives might foster recovery.

Keywords:

• Recovery
• psychosis
• negative symptoms
• narratives
• co-construction

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our colleague Juri Krivzov for his feedback on the initial version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Notes

1 Nonetheless, we of course respect the decision of others not to bring their psychiatric history out in the open, as we are well aware of the stigma which is still associated with psychiatric and especially psychotic-like difficulties.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ghent University Special Research Fund.