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That's the message Will Hall, M.A., brought to psychiatrists Saturday at APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services in New York. Hall is a therapist whose recovery from schizophrenia lends him a unique perspective on the experience of psychosis. He has become a leading advocate of alternative treatment options for people with mental illness, emphasizing psychosocial and interpersonal aspects of recovery. (Hall is pictured at left with Rishi Gautam, M.D., who chaired the session and introduced Hall.) He spoke on "13 Practical Innovations to Improve Recovery Outcomes for Schizophrenia and Bipolar."
"We need to tell people that recovery can happen," Hall told a packed room at the Institute. "I sometimes encounter the stereotype that I must not be someone who has a diagnosis with schi-zoaffective disorder, [that I] must have been misdiagnosed. But in fact the research is very consistent that people do recover, and when we tell people that these conditions are incurable, we are not representing the research accurately."
To view a video interview of Hall, click here.
(Image: Mark Moran)