[Peer support workers : a novel profession in psychiatry].

The possibility to recover from a psychiatric disorder for example schizophrenia materializes today by the emergence of new professionals : peer support workers. These persons have lived the experience of a mental health disorder and underwent training in order to contribute to the recovery of others. This brief article provides an update while they begin to be active in French-speaking Switzerland. The data indicate that their involvement in care decreases the use of emergency, enhances the capability of persons to manage their own health and the satisfaction towards psychiatric services. They promote a culture of hope and recovery in other professionals. Studies are necessary to evaluate more precisely these complex interventions.