THE LETTER 55 & 56 Spring/Summer 2014, pages 41-52.

Recent research does not support the pessimistic view of recovery outcomes in those receiving early intervention for psychosis. However the effectiveness of any intervention depends on the willingness of the patient to engage with intervention in a sustained manner. Engaging people with a psychotic illness can prove challenging. Understanding the role of individual appraisal may contribute to the engagement and management of the illness and lead to improved recovery.

Keywords: psychosis, recovery, engagement, cognitive processes

Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature and that is because in the last analysis we ourselves are part of the mystery we are trying to solve’ (Max Planck 1858 – 1947).

In the mental health field,through multidisciplinary collaboration, we are continually trying to improve the services we provide for our patients.  For psychosis, recent research does not support the traditionally pessimistic view of recovery outcomes, and there have been many promising developments, particularly in the form of new early intervention for psychosis services. Fur-thermore the therapeutic armamentarium of psychological interventions in the fieldof psychosis has broadened considerably, and there are many excit-ing developments in this area. However the effectiveness of any intervention depends on the willingness of the patient to engage with both the service and the individual interventions in a sustained manner.  Engaging people with a psychotic illness can prove challenging. Nonetheless a collaborative approach and a deeper understanding the role of individual appraisal may con-tribute to improved engagement and management of the illness and thus lead to better recovery outcomes.