Mental Health Recovery Tools and Peer Support

Facts

- Mental challenges are very common; in fact, they are more common than cancer, diabetes or heart disease.
- According to the U.S. Surgeon General, an estimated 23% of American adults(those ages 18 and older)--about 44 million people--suffer from a mental challenge during a given year.
- More than 7 million American adults, and more than 5 million children and adolescents experience a serious mental condition(one that significantly interferes with functioning).
- You can recover.
- THERE IS HOPE! Numerous studies show that the majority of people experiencing serious and persistent mental challenges can and do recover.
- Recovery is a journey or a process, not a destination or a cure! The goal of recovery is to move away from defining yourself by the labels given to you by an illness or the symptoms you may experience. Recovery is about rebuilding a sense of self you are happy with and that allows you to establish meaningful life roles.

What is Mental Health Recovery and why do I need it?

We define mental health recovery as the "individual process of overcoming the negative impact of a psychiatric disability despite its continued presence". More simply said, recovery is the process by which an individual recovers their self-esteem, identity, self-worth, dreams, pride, choice, dignity and a meaningful life.

How Peer Support Enhances the Recovery Process

When a person experiences a potentially life threatening illness, who do they want to talk to? An expert in treating the illness and someone who has survived it.
Because The Main Place's staff is made up of individuals who have overcome the impact that mental challenges had on their lives, they can:
1) Share their wisdom, knowledge and experience in recovery;
2) Make you aware of choices you have and assist in implementing your own personal plan of recovery;
3) Link you to resources beyond the mental health system;
4) Help you master the skills necessary to recover; and
5) Provide comfort and support along the journey.

By coming together we build better lives for ourselves, gain employment, maintain independence, and earn acceptance within the community.