Synopses & Reviews
Consumer-Run Mental Health Framework for Recovery Louis D. Brown Conceived of as an empowering alternative to inpatient treatment and traditional community programs, mental health consumer-run organizations--CROs--offer consumers a hands-on stake in their own recovery. A growing evidence base suggests that CROs are a particularly effective form of self-help, with randomized trials demonstrating CRO participants experience improvements in personal empowerment, social integration, and well-being. Consumer-Run Mental Health explains their methods and analyzes their efficacy. A robust theoretical framework synthesizes diverse perspectives to illuminate behavioral processes that contribute to recovery and the dynamics of CROs in creating environments that promote recovery. Data from the author's studies of CRO participation highlight consumer perceptions of the benefits of their involvement. An in-depth ethnographic study examines participant's lives inside and outside the organization. And in a set of remarkable narratives, consumers describe dealing with both mental illness and the tasks of running a non-profit organization, for a fuller understanding of the impact of CRO participation on their lives. By emphasizing consumer roles within the organization, the book breaks down the mental health CRO experience into these vital topics: ·
Review
From the reviews: "The aim of this book is to provide an introduction to CROs in mental health, review the scholarly evidence for their benefit and cost-effectiveness, and provide an insider's perspective on mental health and the process of recovery within these organizations by those who are consumers and members of them. The author identifies a wide audience, ranging from researchers of consumer-run organizations to students of psychiatry to mental health consumers. ... book ends with suggestions for research directions and includes a self-help questionnaire in the appendix." (Christopher J. Graver, Doody's Review Service, March, 2012)
Synopsis
Consumer-run organizations and other types of mental health self-help are becoming increasingly popular in the public mental health system. These initiatives now outnumber traditional mental health organizations in the US (Goldstrom et al., 2006). This growth is due in large part to their low cost, devoted supporters, burgeoning evidence base, and increased acceptance by mental health professionals. International interest in these initiatives is also growing as self-help is flourishing in industrialized countries worldwide. I recently edited a special issue on mental health self-help for the American Journal of Community Psychology and we received submissions from five continents, with exciting work coming out of China, Australia, and Europe. The proposed book develops a rich theoretical model called the Role Framework, which explains how people engage in and benefit from mental health consumer-run organizations (CROs).
Synopsis
As consumer-run mental self-help organizations gain in popularity, so they foster international interest. This volume develops the Role Framework, a theoretical model that explains how people engage in and benefit from mental health consumer-run organizations.
About the Author
Louis D. Brown, Ph.D. is an assistant professor at The University of Texas, School of Public Health in El Paso. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on the subject. Further, he edited a special issue for the American Journal of Community Psychology and a book for Springer on the larger field of mental health self-help. His research in this area has received numerous awards and he chairs the largest group of self-help researchers internationally.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction.- Defining Qualities of CROs.- History of CROs and Mental Health Care.- Research on the Effectiveness of CROs.- Organizational Dynamics.- Overview of the Book.- Chapter 2 - Using existing theory to build a conceptual framework of consumer-run organizations.- Part 1: Conceptualization of CRO Outcomes.- Part 2: Setting Characteristic Theories.- Part 3: Interpersonal Processes Within CROs.- Part 4: Roles and Identity Theory.- Part 5: The Preliminary Framework.- Chapter 3 - Refining the preliminary framework to create the role framework.- Focused Questions Methodology.- Categories and Causes of Personal Change.- Integrating Categories to Create the Role Framework.- Discussion.- Chapter 4 - Constructing journalistic life history narratives to