Objective: Recovery has emerged over the past decade as a dominant theme in public mental health care.
Methods: The 2006 Pennsylvania Consensus Conference brought together 24 community psychiatrists to explore the barriers they experienced in promoting recovery and their recommendations for change.
Results: Twelve barriers were identified and classified into one of three categories: psychiatry knowledge, roles, and training; the need to transform public mental health systems and services; and environmental barriers to opportunity. Participants made 22 recommendations to address these barriers through changes in policies, programs, and psychiatric knowledge and practice.
Conclusions: The recommendations identify areas for change that can be accomplished through individual psychiatrist action and organized group efforts.