How I quit being a "mental patient" and became a whole person with a neurochemical imbalance: conceptual and functional recovery from a psychotic episode.

This article describes the descent into psychosis of the author and his recovery, both mental and cognitive. It discusses the problems of stigma that the author overcame as he searched for a new identity as a person given a label. In discussing recovery, the article contrasts traditional mental health services with the PACT model described by Allness and Knoedler (1998). Finally the article argues for the validity of the Peer Specialist as part of a professional mental health team.