Hope, recovery and symptoms: the importance of hope for people living with severe mental illness

Abstract

Objectives: Hope is an important part of recovery from severe mental illness. Our aim was to assess hope and its correlation with symptoms in people living with severe mental illness. Methods: We used validated questionnaires to assess hope, social isolation, quality of life and symptoms among 60 people living with severe mental illness. Results: Hope scores were significantly lower than those reported for many community groups. There was a negative association between psychiatric symptoms and levels of hope. Conclusions: Some people living with enduring severe mental illness in the Australian community feel hopeless. Being hopeful and initiating recovery are evidently difficult when symptom..