Use of patient narratives in promoting recovery from depression

Using the example of depression, in this paper, I trace the growing recognition of the role patient narratives have in defining and shaping recovery from mental health problems. The rise of the user narrative presents specific challenges for professionals, and I will explore some key issues that users with depression are focusing on, including what they are asking of professional. From the user perspective, some professionals are naturally good at detecting, eliciting, understanding and working with their stories, and I will discuss what engagement with narrative actually looks like for depression. Finally, I will conclude with a short outline of how depression narratives have taken a specific social turn, incorporating discourses and strategies challenging the perceptions and attitudes of the public more widely as part of recovery