Recovery from disabling mental illness represents a revolutionary model of psychiatry, its validity being widely recognized at the present day. It focuses on the recognition of the subjectivity and specificity of patients, who are no longer perceived as a case, but rather sustained and valorized in their process towards self-determination. In this light, the work of a physician is not merely to handle symptoms; he needs to adopt a more holistic approach. Healing has a unique meaning for each person and clinical recovery must be accompanied by personal and social ones. On the other side, users must be actively involved in the process: they need to believe in themselves, to redefine themselves beyond the diagnosis by respecting both their potentialities and their intrinsic fragilities. The "Casa del Giovane" community centers accompany a small group of patients that suffered from severe psychotic illness in their process of evolution and growth. Despite the impossibility to come back to a premorbid state, these subjects are encouraged to follow a path of personal development and to re-engage in their society through activities they consider to be meaningful. This way, community becomes a place of self-experimentation and sharing. The aim of this study is to investigate how this approach influences the quality of life of patients and, thus, to validate its efficacy. The instruments exploited in the analysis are the WSAS, WHOQOL and DREEM scales, in combination with the CGI and VGF questionnaires. They investigate feelings and perceptions about life, goals, worries and individual interpretation of mental illness and recovery. Relationships, social participation and peer support are specifically considered using the Networks Test (i.e. Test delle Reti). Results have been collected since 2010 and they succeeded in showing the potential of this project. However, after the first twelve months, during which a significant improvement is achieved, data tend to remain stable over the years. The absence of relevant excursions may suggest that community-life experience should be temporary and should be interrupted as soon as the individual is ready to continue his journey in a less protected environment.
La recovery dalla malattia mentale rappresenta un metodo rivoluzionario di psichiatria, la cui validità è ampiamente riconosciuta attualmente. Essa si focalizza sul riconoscimento della soggettività e specificità del singolo, che non è più percepito come un caso, ma piuttosto sostenuto e valorizzato nel processo di determinazione del sé. In questa luce, il lavoro del medico non si limita alla gestione dei sintomi; egli deve adottare un approccio più olistico. La guarigione assume un significato specifico per ciascun individuo, e deve comprendere la sfera clinica, sociale e personale. D'altra parte, gli utenti devono essere attivamente coinvolti nel processo: devono investire in se stessi, ridefinirsi oltre la diagnosi rispettando sia le potenzialità che le fragilità intrinseche. La comunità "Casa del Giovane" accompagna un piccolo gruppo di pazienti che hanno sofferto di severa psicosi nel processo di evoluzione e crescita. Nonostante l'impossibilità di tornare ad uno stato premorboso, essi sono incoraggiati a seguire un cammino di sviluppo personale ed a ri-ingaggiarsi nella società attraverso attività che considerano significative. In questo modo, la comunità diviene uno spazio per sperimentarsi e condividere. Lo scopo di questo studio è di investigare come quest'approccio influenzi la qualità della vita degli utenti e, dunque, di validarne l'efficacia. Gli strumenti sfruttati sono le scale WSAS, WHOQOL e DREEM, in combinazione con i questionari VGF e CGI. Essi analizzano i sentimenti e le percezioni circa la vita, gli scopi e l'interpretazione individuale di malattia mentale e recovery. Le relazioni, la partecipazione sociale ed il supporto dei pari sono considerati nel Test delle Reti. I risultati sono stati raccolti sin dal 2010 ed hanno dimostrato il potenziale di questo progetto. Tuttavia, dopo i primi dodici mesi, in cui si registra un rilevante miglioramento, i dati tendono a restare stabili negli anni. L'assenza di escursioni significative potrebbe suggerire che l'esperienza di vita comunitaria dovrebbe essere temporanea e dovrebbe essere interrotta appena l'individuo è pronto a continuare il suo cammino in un ambiente meno protetto.
A journey towards Recovery: the experience of "Casa del Giovane" community center
SCAFA, CHIARA
2017/2018
Abstract
Recovery from disabling mental illness represents a revolutionary model of psychiatry, its validity being widely recognized at the present day. It focuses on the recognition of the subjectivity and specificity of patients, who are no longer perceived as a case, but rather sustained and valorized in their process towards self-determination. In this light, the work of a physician is not merely to handle symptoms; he needs to adopt a more holistic approach. Healing has a unique meaning for each person and clinical recovery must be accompanied by personal and social ones. On the other side, users must be actively involved in the process: they need to believe in themselves, to redefine themselves beyond the diagnosis by respecting both their potentialities and their intrinsic fragilities. The "Casa del Giovane" community centers accompany a small group of patients that suffered from severe psychotic illness in their process of evolution and growth. Despite the impossibility to come back to a premorbid state, these subjects are encouraged to follow a path of personal development and to re-engage in their society through activities they consider to be meaningful. This way, community becomes a place of self-experimentation and sharing. The aim of this study is to investigate how this approach influences the quality of life of patients and, thus, to validate its efficacy. The instruments exploited in the analysis are the WSAS, WHOQOL and DREEM scales, in combination with the CGI and VGF questionnaires. They investigate feelings and perceptions about life, goals, worries and individual interpretation of mental illness and recovery. Relationships, social participation and peer support are specifically considered using the Networks Test (i.e. Test delle Reti). Results have been collected since 2010 and they succeeded in showing the potential of this project. However, after the first twelve months, during which a significant improvement is achieved, data tend to remain stable over the years. The absence of relevant excursions may suggest that community-life experience should be temporary and should be interrupted as soon as the individual is ready to continue his journey in a less protected environment.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/21904