Le rôle des valeurs et du sens de la vie dans le rétablissement des troubles mentaux sévères

The role of values and meaning of life in the recovery of severe mental disorders. Restoring meaning in one's life is a major issue for psychological recovery, in the context of the psychological and social consequences of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia. Recovery indeed denotes the development of a fulfiling life and a positive sense of identity founded on hopefulness and self-determination. Only a little research has been devoted to meaning. Here we describe the way meaning interacts with patients value and psychological and social context and define a general model involving the interaction beween these parameters. Finally, the way to address the issue of meaning is detailed according to existential literature, with the assumption that meaning is often a neglected issue in recovery-oriented care. Meaning can be found, for example, by considering the way one copes with his/her suffering, or by inversting in hedonism or altruism. These goals should be oriented by the values which are important to the patients.