Personal recovery of adolescents with mental health conditions in the community: empirically-based practical implications

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new model for helping adolescents with mental health issues recover by ensuring continuous support from families, schools, and communities.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of the 'Continuity of Community Reintegration' model based on stakeholder input and empirical research.

Findings

The CCR model emphasizes the importance of continuity of care across multiple providers for adolescent mental health recovery.

Stakeholder input from 86 participants informed the model's focus on emotional, social, and functional recovery aspects.

Active engagement and decision-making by adolescents are highlighted as critical components of successful recovery.

Abstract

Approximately one in seven 10 to 19-year-olds cope with mental health conditions globally, which amounts to 13% of the overall burden of disease within this specific age demographic, and the prevalence is expected to rise. Neglecting the management of mental health conditions during adolescence has repercussions into adulthood that adversely affect both physical and mental well-being, and constrain opportunities for leading fulfilling lives.

This integrative article introduces a new empirically-based model entitled “Continuity of Community Reintegration” (the CCR model) that acknowledges the emotional, social, and functional aspects of the personal recovery process of adolescents by considering the essential care providers, i.e., the family, community-based programs, schools, and clinics or hospitals. This model is based on a research project including a scoping review and qualitative data collected from 86 stakeholders involved in Amitim for Youth, the first community-based program for adolescents with mental health conditions in Israel.

The model underscores that continuity of care across all the care providers is essential to optimize the personal recovery of these adolescents while emphasizing their agency, encouraging them to engage actively in decision-making, goal setting, and while guiding them towards reintegration into the community and personal recovery.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13584-025-00725-0.

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