[Models of peer support in psychiatric care]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Mental Health Services Research
• Recovery-Oriented Care

Background:

• Psychiatric care has shifted from a traditional medical model to a person-centered, recovery-focused approach.
• Peer support workers, utilizing their lived experience, are crucial in fostering hope and facilitating recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the current literature on peer support models in psychiatric care.
• To report on the evidence base for peer support and its implementation status.
• To detail examples of user involvement in psychiatric settings.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature searches on peer support research projects.
• Review of recent literature on peer support change models and implementation.
• In-depth description of user involvement examples like the Hamburg EX-IN Curriculum and trialogs.

Main Results:

• Peer support demonstrates promising outcomes in various settings, including one-to-one and group support, case management, and crisis interventions.
• Evidence suggests peer support can contribute to reducing coercive measures in psychiatric care.
• User involvement initiatives like trialogs and psychosis seminars enhance recovery-oriented practices.

Conclusions:

• Despite promising results, significant challenges impede the widespread implementation of peer support in psychiatric care.
• Overcoming implementation barriers requires a systemic change process involving all staff members.
• Further integration of peer support is essential for advancing user-oriented and recovery-focused psychiatric services.