This thesis explores wellbeing and social recovery in people with serious mental illness.

Chapter one is a literature review drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of capital to conceptualise mental health services as institutions with high levels of social capital. It then asks the question ‘Can mental health services leverage this capital to improve social function in service users?’. Four types of intervention in which mental health services recruit members of the wider community to support social recovery are identified; peer support, befriending, shared activities, and social recovery therapy and rehabilitation. Thirteen controlled studies were identified, with three demonstrating a statistically significant effect for befriending and social recovery therapy on social function. Peer support or shared activity interventions were largely ineffective on these measures. The results are discussed in relation to social capital and whether its transfer, from mental health team to service user, may be impeded by stigma.

Chapter two is an investigation into the relationship between unusual experiences, wellbeing, and environment, for people with psychosis. Five people, using an early intervention service for psychosis, told their stories of their experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. These stories were analysed, using a narrative methodology, to elucidate how wellbeing related attributions and unusual experiences developed over time in response to changes in the social environment. A complex account emerged of the interplay of different aspects of wellbeing over time. Integral to this interplay was the theme of ‘struggle’ whereby participants worked tirelessly to maintain and enhance their wellbeing. Of particular interest was the struggle between connection to others and a coherent sense of self.

Chapter three is a discussion of the implications of these finding to clinical practice and research. Particular attention is paid to the difficulty in measuring ‘recovery’ in psychosis as it is an inherently idiosyncratic process.