Shaping Conditions for Recovery: A narrative on a Homeless Man with Severe Mental Illness in a Modern Welfare State

Coline van Everdingen*, Peter Bob Peerenboom, Harry Gras, Philippe Delespaul

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Despite extensive research, interdependent problems such as severe mental illness and homelessness cause extreme disparities and health inequity. Handling complexity in careseeker–caregiver networks remains challenging. The local public health services in a Dutch city were enriched with a specialized team. An ethnographic policy evaluation was conducted to identify the essentials of an effective approach. We use the narrative of a homeless man who experiences psychoses for an in-depth analysis of the team’s functionality. The narrative data shows the challenges of caregiver networks and underlines the need to integrate care. It demonstrates how normal behavior, personal skills, and a socio-ecological system strategy merge into collaborative networks with the ability to diversify care and keep focus on recovery. This paper demonstrates the failure of the linear handicap model and the costs of overspecialized care systems. Building on socio-ecological recovery literature, it provides insight how care networks successfully can foster recovery.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 26 Oct 2023

Keywords

  • Health equity
  • Homelessness
  • Integrating care
  • Recovery
  • Severe mental illness
  • Socio-ecological recovery approach

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