The relationship between clinical and recovery dimensions of outcome in mental health

The identification of three rather than two factors was unexpected. Our findings support the value of concurrently assessing staff and patient perceptions of outcome. Only the personal recovery factor changed over time, this desynchrony between clinical and recovery outcomes providing empirical evidence that clinical recovery and personal recovery are not the same. We did not find evidence of a trade-off between clinical recovery and personal recovery outcomes. Optimal assessment based on our data would involve assessment of hope, social disability and patient-rated unmet need.