Introduction to the special issue on mental health self-help.

Since the 1950s, people with mental illness and their families have been organizing a wide range of self-directed, mutual support oriented initiatives, including self-help groups, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. These initiatives have become increasingly widespread over the years and today mental health self-help initiatives outnumber traditional mental health organizations in the United States (Goldstrom et al., Admin Policy Mental Health Mental Health Serv Res 33:92-103, 2006). Mental health self-help embodies much of what community psychologists promote, including the self-directed organization of people to create social change and facilitate personal transformation. This special issue provides new insight into several prominent areas of inquiry surrounding these low-cost interventions including: (1) their evidence base; (2) the processes by which people benefit; (3) how they interface with the mental health system; and (4) the value dilemmas they face.

Understanding how participation in a consumer-run organization relates to recovery.

The goal of this study was to examine how different types of participation in a consumer-run organization (CRO) are related to recovery. More specifically, this study uses structural equation modeling to examine the relative impact of empowering and socially supportive participation experiences on progress towards recovery among 250 CRO members from 20 CROs. An empowering participation experience refers to involvement in leadership roles and contribution to organizational functioning. A socially supportive participation experience refers to social involvement in mutually supportive friendships with intimacy and sharing. Results indicate that both types of participation are associated with recovery, although a socially supportive participation experience maintains a stronger relationship with recovery than an empowering participation experience. Findings are consistent with the idea that CROs should encourage both types of participation. Drawing from over ten years of experience supporting CROs, the discussion section explores several strategies CROs can use to foster empowering and socially supportive participation experiences.

Goal achievement and the accountability of consumer-run organizations.

This study explores how consumer-run organizations (CROs) can maintain independence while meeting the accountability needs of funding agencies. The importance of both funding agency needs for accountability and CRO needs for independence are discussed. A goal-tracking process is proposed as a potential strategy for balancing the potentially conflicting needs of accountability and independence. To demonstrate the utility of the goal tracking approach, this study analyzes goal tracking documentation in 3 years of quarterly reports from 21 CROs (also known as consumer drop-in centers and self-help agencies). Results detail the different goals of CROs. A 68% goal achievement rate suggests general organizational competence. Furthermore, CRO operations appear to be relatively cost-efficient, with an average of $11.51 spent per person per day. The analysis of quarterly reports leads to a discussion of several insights that may be useful to CROs, funding agencies, researchers, and mental health professionals.

Factors contributing to the survival of self-help groups.

Despite the growing utilization of self-help groups, there have been only a handful of studies that have examined the factors that contribute to their survival. The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that contribute to self-help group survival by examining their relationship with external sources (i.e., national and local self-help organizations, professionals) and group organizational characteristics (i.e., leadership diversification, recruitment, attendance at group meetings). Representatives from 245 active and 94 recently disbanded self-help groups were included in the analysis. Results indicated that the primary factors that discriminated between active and disbanded groups were the number of new people to attend a meeting, average group meeting attendance, length of existence, leadership diversification, outreach to potential group members, and support from national and local organizations. Results are discussed in terms of what national self-help organizations, self-help clearinghouses, and others who interact with self-help groups can do to empower and support them.