This article articulates the theme of recovery with concepts of health and disease in the works of Georges Canguilhem and Donald Winnicott in dialog with autobiographical accounts of the experiences of the recovery movement researcher and activist Patricia Deegan. The recovery model, which arose from mental health consumer groups in the 1970s, has been incorporated into academic settings, services and policies, as illustrated by its inclusion in the WHO’s Mental Health Action Plan. Recognizing its usefulness as a conceptual and logical care tool whose use is not widespread in Brazil, we seek to contribute to its consolidation, reaffirming that intersubjective experience is the essential substrate for the health assessment and considering the psychosocial dimension of the mental health reform underlying Brazil’s mental health policy.
Keywords
Mental health; Psychosocial care; Personal narrative; Recovery