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In the first paper in this short series (Sen et al, 2009), we talked about the importance of having ‘recovery heroes’. There is a grave danger to the whole recovery movement if it is colonised by mental health professionals and not owned by service users themselves (O'Hagan, 2008). This danger can be seen in attempts to conduct randomised controlled trials of ‘recovery interventions’, designed by professionals, who want to bring recovery practice into evidence‐based medicine. If it means anything, recovery is fundamentally an individual process. The recent Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health report (Shepherd et al, 2008), quotes Bill Anthony:‘Recovery … is a deeply personal, unique process of changing one's attitudes … involves the development of new meaning and purpose in one's life …’ (Anthony, 1993)Patricia Deegan also emphasises the person‐centred focus of recovery, ‘… recovery is an attitude, a stance, a way of approaching the day's challenges …’ (Deegan, 1996, p96). The most important evidence, to our minds, is that of individuals who are on the journey of recovery. Recovery heroes are courageous individuals who have made considerable progress along the path that few staff ever have to travel. We would like to introduce you to another one: Peter Chadwick.

The purpose of this paper is to review the 16 published non-student Recovery Heroes and Remarkable Lives accounts published in Mental Health and Social Inclusion, using the connection, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment (CHIME) framework.

All 16 accounts were rated independently by four researchers and evaluated in terms of whether each account met the five criteria for the CHIME model.

All accounts met the criteria for the CHIME model, with the exception of one, which still met four of the five criteria. Evidence was presented which suggests that the model can be extended to creativity, connectedness, hope, identity, meaning and empowerment (C-CHIME), to incorporate creativity.

While a certain level of subjectivity is required in deciding how each account meets the CHIME criteria, there were high levels of inter-rater reliability within the research team. Creativity had a central place in all the accounts.

The revised C-CHIME model can be used by practitioners to examine accounts of recovery in a more focussed manner and may also help in devising recovery action plans.

The recovery model privileges both professional and lived experience perspectives on recovery. The current review highlights how much we can benefit from the wisdom contained in first person accounts.

This review adds to the existing literature and highlights the importance of creativity for mental health recovery.

In this chapter we share some lessons we have learnt through doing research with – rather than on – people experiencing a range of mental health problems.

Our work has taken place within social, cultural, economic, and political contexts which create several problems or challenges. Through an extended dialogue, we explore how we have critically responded to each of these challenges across three phases of our projects: accessing and witnessing experiences of mental illness; understanding experiences of mental illness; and communicating mental health research.

Our aim is to stimulate creative responses to the question of how to do and disseminate research that is most likely to be helpful to people experiencing mental health problems.

Provides an interview with Peter Chadwick, co-founder and chief executive of Ideas for Leaders

Discusses the gap between academia and practice in business, and how to address this.

Outlines the benefits of such channels as Ideas for Leaders for disseminating academic research amongst the business community.

Draws on Chadwick's experience working with business schools and executive development programs, as well as his publishing background, to give an overview of the current situation, and suggest possible remedies.

Margaret's story concludes our short series on recovery heroes. This series started with Dolly Sen, followed by Peter Chadwick, Gordon McManus and Matt Ward. Four of the five people featured were from our local service at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. We have defined recovery heroes as individuals whose journeys of recovery can inspire both service users and professionals alike. Margaret once commented that, ‘all service users are recovery heroes’. It is fitting that the series should end with her own story.

The purpose of this paper is to validate peer support in mental health care.

Literature review and meta-analysis methodology are used.

The unintentional nature of peer support is a valid methodology for the understanding of mental health issues and mental health care.

The limitation is that peer experience should be accepted as a valued method for research.

Professional domains may not keep a monopoly of research approaches in mental health.

Peer support may mean more avenues for empowerment of mental health service users from peer role models who have unintentional acquaintance with mental health issues and care.

This research refers to ethnographic precedents to describe methodology relevant to twenty-first century peer support in mental health. It is original in valuing the unintentional participant observation acquired from experience of the mental health system.

The paper aims to discuss delusion as a creative experience.

The paper addresses narrative rendering of delusional thinking in detail and related styles of thought in artists.

Enhanced creativity during psychosis can be put to productive use in recovery. Artistic cultures may help psychosis sufferers move to a more socially inclusive, consensual view of reality.

The paper emphasises the artistic aspect of psychosis as a counterweight to the “machine aesthetic” of positivistic science and also stresses the importance of spiritual experience to recovery.

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that student-led case studies are an important way to learn about mental health problems and to highlight this by presenting a case study of the comedic genius Spike Milligan.

Celebrities live their lives in the public eye. In recent years, many have talked about their struggles with mental health. This paper is based on a student-led case study of the celebrity Spike Milligan.

This case study suggests one previously under-emphasised issue and argues that Spike Milligan’s wartime experiences may have led to post-traumatic stress disorder. Second, that he may have developed neuro-inflammation, through contracting sandfly fever during the war. This could have been an additional trigger for bipolar disorder.

While this is a single case study, it draws on a wide variety of research sources to back up the arguments advanced.

Student-led case studies provide a way of engaging students more actively with mental health problems.

Mental illness is complex, if not more complex, than physical health problems. Case studies of celebrities like Spike Milligan can help develop a public understanding of mental illness, as they already have a working knowledge about the person.

The case study illustrates how Bipolar 1 disorder is a complex and unique condition and that every individual’s illness has different predisposing characteristics. It suggests that student-led case studies are a helpful learning tool.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the life of the musician Brian Wilson from five different perspectives.

The authors used a mixed method of collaborative autoethnography, psychobiography and digital team ethnography to try and better understand the life and contributions of Brian Wilson.

Each of the five contributors provides different insights into the life and music of Brian Wilson.

While the focus of this paper is on a single individual, a case study, the long and distinguished life of Brian Wilson provides much material for discussion and theorising.

Each individual presenting to mental health services has a complex biography. The five different contributions articulated in this paper could perhaps be taken as similar to the range of professional opinions seen in mental health teams, with each focusing on unique but overlapping aspects of the person’s story.

This account shows the importance of taking a biological-psychological-social-spiritual and cultural perspective on mental illness.

This multi-layered analysis brings a range of perspectives to bear on the life and achievements of Brian Wilson, from developmental, musical, psychological and lived experience standpoints.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a profile of Rob Wright.

Using a case study approach, Rob gives a short account of his background and is then interviewed by Jerome.

Rob’s is an amazing account of surviving a harrowing upbringing, which fortunately few of us reading this piece will have had to endure.

Rob’s story perfectly illustrates why first-person accounts are so powerful. It is hard to imagine a statistical paper having the same impact as this description of one person’s lived experience.

Suicide is the greatest danger for anyone with a long-term mental health problem. Rob has faced this decision many times and has courageously battled on.

Rachel’s simple, yet profound mantra, of “someone to love, something to do, somewhere to live,” is vital for all of our well-being. As Rob also points out, you still need money to put into the electric meter!

Some people have tough upbringings and some have cruel upbringings. Rob had both. His survival is a testament to the uncrushable nature of the human spirit.