Empowerment and recovery in the mental health field in Brazil: Socio-historical context, cross-national aspects, and critical considerations

ABSTRACT This article provides a consideration of the social and political context required to support empowerment and recovery in the promotion of emancipatory services and supports for those experiencing mental illness. It does so by considering the historical impact of the sociopolitical and cultural context in Brazil of the diffusion of empowerment and recovery and explores the risks and challenges in transferring models of working without due consideration of these factors. The article argues that despite the challenges and risk identified, empowerment and recovery are essential to the provision of a citizenship-oriented system that frees people using mental health services to direct their own supports. Finally, the article provides an exploration of future trends in service development in Brazil in relation to these projects.