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Cited by 100Mental Health and Patient InvolvementMental Health Treatment and AccessResilience and Mental Health

“The old me could never have done that”: how people give meaning to recovery following depression

Ridge, Damien, Ziebland, Sue·2006·Qualitative Health Research
DOI 10.1177/1049732306292132
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Abstract

Depression is usually a "self-limiting" condition, and recovery is likely, even if people do have subsequent episodes. However, despite considerable research into depression, little is known about how people actually go about understanding and organizing their recovery from depression. In this article, the authors draw on one-to-one interviews with people who have experienced mainly severe depression to explore the approaches and meanings attributed to overcoming depression. They used unstructured and semistructured interview phases to collect data and a modified grounded theory approach to analysis. They interviewed 38 men and women who had previously experienced depression (selected using the principles of maximum variation sampling through general practitioners, support groups, and newsletters) in late 2003 and early 2004. The authors explore the specific components involved in recovery (e.g., authenticity, responsibility, rewriting depression into the self), the stories people tell about their recovery, and the strategies deployed to revitalize life following depression.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1049732306292132

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  • This contrasting view of recovery was also present in different identity goals, with some service users striving to develop a "new self" by learning from their experience, and others wanting to return to the roles and occupation or everyday activities from before experiencing mental health problems.

    “This contrasting view of recovery was also present in different identity goals, with some service users striving to develop a “new self” by learning from their experience (62, 63), and others wanting to return to the roles and occupation or everyday activities from before experiencing mental health problems (58, 64).”

    From Recovery from Severe Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review of Service User and Informal Caregiver Perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as [63]

  • Ridge and Ziebland (63) used the term "coming out of the closet," since accepting the given diagnosis was understood as way to achieve authentic living without trying to pass as "normal."

    “Ridge and Ziebland (63) used the term “coming out of the closet,” since accepting the given diagnosis was understood as way to achieve authentic living without trying to pass as “normal.””

    From Recovery from Severe Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review of Service User and Informal Caregiver Perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as [63]

  • Examples when clinical recovery experience was present in the literature were references to recovery goals such as "chemical balance" (63), "adherence to treatment" (79), or "reducing clinical symptoms" (47, 51, 67, 80).

    “Examples when this was present in the literature were references to recovery goals such as “chemical balance” (63), “adherence to treatment” (79), or “reducing clinical symptoms” (47, 51, 67, 80).”

    From Recovery from Severe Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review of Service User and Informal Caregiver Perspectives (2021) · cites this paper as [63]

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Authors
Ridge, D., & Ziebland, S.
Affiliations
  • University of Westminster (GB)
  • Department of Primary Health Care, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
ORCID
Ridge, Damien
Venue
Qualitative Health Research
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2006-10
Volume
16
Issue
8
Pages
1038-1053
ISSN
  • 1049-7323 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-7557
DOI
10.1177/1049732306292132
OpenAlex
W2103534105
Cited by
100
References
25
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 13
FWCI
10.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Qualitative Health Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mental Health and Patient Involvement
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
Keywords
depression, recovery from depression, meaning-making, lived experience, severe depression, self-limiting illness, authenticity, personal responsibility, life stories, relapse
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Depressive Disorder, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Video Recording, Self Efficacy, Narration

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