The central role of self-agency in clinical recovery from first episode psychosis.
Abstract
Purpose: While there is accumulating evidence for clinical recovery in a significant proportion of people experiencing a first episode psychosis, the mechanisms facilitating this form of recovery are less well known. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate mechanisms of recovery after a first-episode psychosis as perceived by clinically recovered service users.Methods: Thematic analytic approach within an interpretative–phenomenological framework. Twenty clinically recovered service users were interviewed. Analysis followed an established meaning condensation procedure.Results: Main theme: Establishment of subjective self-agency. Subordinate themes: (1) Environmental support and gentle pressure, (2) Individually tailored assistance, (3) Antipsychotic medication: relinquishing personal responsibility, and considerable side effects.Conclusions: We suggest that an increase in sense of personal agency is a core mechanism driving recovery for participants in the study sample. Findings indicate that interventions aiming to boost subjective and behavioral agency in service users might be of great benefit, particularly in combating negative symptoms of psychosis.
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Studies underscore self-agency as central to recovery processes.
“and studies underscore self-agency as central to recovery processes [48].”
From "It's not a life of war and conflict": experienced therapists' views on negotiating a therapeutic alliance in involuntary treatment (2019) · cites this paper as [48]
For general mental health suffering, multiple qualitative studies and meta-syntheses have reported that important aspects beyond symptom reduction are salient to recovery, including engaging in meaningful interpersonal processes, gaining understanding about one's own patterns of suffering, finding hope and motivation to drive autonomous change, and taking responsibility for one's own life.
“For general mental health suffering, multiple qualitative studies, and meta-syntheses have reported that important aspects beyond symptom reduction are salient to recovery.”
From Moving toward connectedness – a qualitative study of recovery processes for people with borderline personality disorder (2019) · cites this paper as Bjornestad et al., 2017
Empirical work studying different illness experiences underscores agency and autonomy as healing phenomena.
“Empirical work studying different illness experiences underscore agency and autonomy as healing phenomena (Moltu et al., 2012, 2017; Bjornestad et al., 2017; Hansen et al., 2017).”
From Moving toward connectedness – a qualitative study of recovery processes for people with borderline personality disorder (2019) · cites this paper as Bjornestad et al., 2017
Bjornestad et al. (2017) underscore how environmental support and gentle pressure supports self-agency development for people with psychosis.
“Similarly, reporting on self-agency development for people with psychosis, Bjornestad et al. (2017) underscore how environmental support and gentle pressure supports such processes.”
From Moving toward connectedness – a qualitative study of recovery processes for people with borderline personality disorder (2019) · cites this paper as Bjornestad et al. (2017)
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References 48 · Cited by 28
- Authors
- Bjornestad, J., Bronnick, K., Davidson, L., Hegelstad, W. T. V., Joa, I., Kandal, O., Larsen, T. K., Langeveld, J., Veseth, M., Melle, I., & Johannessen, J. O.
- Affiliations
- TIPS – Centre for Clinical Research in Psychosis, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
- Yale University (US)
- Stavanger University Hospital (NO)
- Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Bergen University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Høgskolen i Bergen (NO)
- University of Oslo (NO)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychosis
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-07-29
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 140-148
- ISSN
- 1752-2439 (ISSN-L)
- 1752-2447
- OpenAlex
- W2482883747
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 3.56
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosis (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Health South East (2008001)
- Health West (200202797-65, 911916, 911952)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mental Health and Patient Involvement
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Mental Health and Psychiatry
- Keywords
- first-episode psychosis, clinical recovery, self-agency, subjective agency, service user perspectives, environmental support, antipsychotic drugs, antipsychotic adverse effects, negative symptoms
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