Distorted and Astroturf “Recovery” Stories
Not all personal accounts are genuine — watch out for distorted and astroturf recovery stories
Many industries, including medical and pharmaceutical companies, use “astroturfing”: groups and individuals paid by the industry, but pretending that they are independent grass-roots citizen advocates. True mental health advocates share their experience because they want to inform, inspire, or warn others; “astroturf” advocates are paid to send a message that is profitable for the payers.
Remember that the best evidence for true and full recovery is being a full-time student or having gainful employment. Of course, some people in good mental health may neither work for pay, nor go to college: a stay-at-home parent, a retiree, somebody who has a physical disability or is between jobs, etc. When such people share their recovery stories, they would usually mention that they take care of their children, or have retired after a long career, or include any other evidence of their success. Alternatively, many people with psychiatric disabilities live satisfying and productive lives, just like many people with physical disabilities do. They may not be able to find a full-time job with the necessary accommodations, but they volunteer, do freelance creative work, provide informal peer support, or do other things that give meaning to their life. If somebody sharing their story does not identify as a person with a disability and there is no obvious reason for why they don’t work or go to college, is it clear what their source of income is? If they describe themselves as a “consultant,” do they have their own consulting company? Do they post information about their consulting services and fees? If somebody goes around talking about their recovery, but it is unclear what they do other than appearing on YouTube, writing a blog, or giving interviews, you want to apply extra scrutiny to their message.
One collection of personal stories that raises many questions to which we, so far, have not found answers, can be seen at the CureSZ foundation website at https://curesz.org/survivors/.