Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 15:14:1162288.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1162288. eCollection 2023.

Effectiveness of Illness Management and Recovery program on people with severe mental illnesses: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Yong Shian Shawn Goh  1 , Jenna Qing Yun Ow Yong  1 , Amy Ziqiang Li  1   2
Affiliations

Effectiveness of Illness Management and Recovery program on people with severe mental illnesses: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Yong Shian Shawn Goh et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program has been established in response to the challenges faced by people with severe mental illnesses (SMIs). The program emphasizes the self-management of mental health conditions and the achievement of personally meaningful goals. However, reviews on its efficacy remain scarce, especially in recent years.

Objective: This review aimed to examine the efficacy of IMR in improving personal-recovery outcomes among people with SMIs.

Methods: A search was conducted on seven databases (CINAHL, Embase, ProQuest, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) from inception to February 2022, without limits on the dates and types of publications. Studies were included if they had examined the efficacy of IMR in one or more outcomes, investigated at least one group of participants, and been published in English. The participants were adults (at least 16 years of age) with a formal diagnosis of at least one SMI.

Results: Fourteen studies were included in this review, and eight outcomes were examined: personal recovery, global functioning, social functioning, hope, perceived social support, quality of life, substance abuse, and knowledge of mental illness. There is limited evidence on the superiority of IMR to existing treatment plans or other interventions in improving the outcomes of interest among people with SMIs. However, the low attendance rates in many included studies suggest the presence of a threshold of exposure to IMR beyond which its treatment effects could be observed. Suggestions for future IMR implementation are discussed.

Conclusions: The IMR program may serve as an alternative or complementary intervention for people with SMIs, especially with enhanced program exposure and access to resource materials.

Systematic review registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-10-0005/.

Keywords: Illness Management and Recovery; meta-analysis; personal-recovery; severe mental illness; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA 2020 flow diagram (23).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias summary.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Effectiveness of IMR program on personal recovery (post-test CC). (B) Effectiveness of IMR program on personal recovery (post-test CC)—after removal. (C) Effectiveness of IMR program on personal recovery (follow-up CC).
Figure 4
Figure 4
(A) Effectiveness of IMR program on personal recovery (follow-up CC)—after removal. (B) Effectiveness of IMR program on personal recovery (post-test ITT). (C) Effectiveness of IMR program on personal recovery (follow-up ITT).
Figure 5
Figure 5
(A) Effectiveness of IMR program on global functioning (post-test CC). (B) Effectiveness of IMR program on social functioning (post-test CC). (C) Effectiveness of IMR program on global functioning (follow-up CC).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effectiveness of IMR program on social functioning (post-test ITT).
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A) Effectiveness of IMR program on hope (post-test CC). (B) Effectiveness of IMR program on hope (follow-up CC).
Figure 8
Figure 8
(A) Effectiveness of IMR program on quality of life (post-test CC). (B) Effectiveness of IMR program on quality of life (follow-up CC).
Figure 9
Figure 9
(A) Effectiveness of IMR program on substance abuse (post-test CC). (B) Effectiveness of IMR program on substance abuse (follow-up CC).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Institute of Mental Health . Towards a Model for a Comprehensive Community-Based Mental Health System. Washington, DC: National Institute of Mental Health; (1987).
    1. Ruggeri M, Leese M, Thornicroft G, Bisoffi G, Tansella M. Definition and prevalence of severe and persistent mental illness. Br J Psychiatry. (2000) 177:149–55. 10.1192/bjp.177.2.149 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schinnar AP, Rothbard AB, Kanter R, Jung YS. An empirical literature review of definitions of severe and persistent mental illness. Am J Psychiatry. (1990). 147:1602–8. 10.1176/ajp.147.12.1602 - DOI - PubMed
    1. National Institute of Mental Health . Mental Illness. (2022). Available online at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness#part_2538 (accessed June 30, 2022).
    1. Rivera-Segarra E, Varas-Díaz N, Santos-Figueroa A. “That's all fake”: health professionals stigma and physical healthcare of people living with serious mental illness. PLoS ONE. (2019) 14:e0226401. 10.1371/journal.pone.0226401 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources