Prescribing recovery as the new mantra for mental health: does one prescription serve all?

BACKGROUND: "Recovery" is the new mantra for reforming the mental health system and occupational therapists have embraced the change.
PURPOSE: To critically examine the concept of recovery across five dimensions: clarity, simplicity, generality, accessibility, and importance. KEY ISSUES. The implicit assumption that the recovery concept is universally applicable is challenged. This examination raises concerns about the application of the recovery concept cross culturally, across the lifespan, and at different levels of service delivery. IMPLICATIONS: The meaning and application of the recovery concept will need to be cautiously applied to populations traditionally underserved by the mental health care system, including seniors, visible minorities, children and youth, recent immigrants, and refugees. Research exploring the meaning and process of recovery across diverse groups and at different levels of service delivery is needed. Occupational therapists must continue to critically examine the concept of recovery to position our field thoughtfully and inclusively within mental health care reform.