Recovery is an individual process, the speed of its course depends on many reasons. Recovery can also occur in a wave manner: periods of exacerbation are replaced by remission and vice versa.
Many in rehab for mental health problems emphasize the importance of self-acceptance. For example, people with depression report that they experienced an inferiority complex and a lack of approval from others long before being diagnosed. Depression or any other mental disorder can cause feelings of guilt and shame, and recovery often begins only when these feelings are realized: it is important to understand that the experience of shame and guilt is groundless and every person is valuable as they are.
Experiences of belonging, approval and being heard are important in the healing process. The idea of support groups is based on this thesis. In a support group, a person is not judged by their external manifestations, in contrast to what many people undergoing rehabilitation face, for example, in their work collective.
Overcoming a mental disorder sometimes dramatically changes a human personality. Previously, life was based on representativeness and the achievement of goals. With a mental disorder, a strange feeling could appear: “Am I really this powerless and hopeless person?” In the process of recovery, a person’s value system and identity are often transformed and clarified. Recovering from an illness can lead to a new answer to the question “What makes me happy?”.
Benefits that are not always found in other people are quite common among those undergoing rehabilitation after a mental disorder. These virtues often go unnoticed by others due to the focus on the problems and weaknesses caused by the mental disorder. These advantages include, for example, the ability to make do with extremely modest income, knowledge of the social protection system, the ability to find and use personal reserves, the ability to continue life with the sign of the stigma, and the ability to understand other people in difficult life situations.
Many people undergoing rehabilitation after a mental disorder have successfully coped with such situations and surprises. The experience of people who have gone through such trials can be very useful in providing support to other people in difficult life situations.