The theme of recovery in the perspective of person with severe mental illness, within the context of community mental health services and psychiatry care transformations, still lacks studies although it has been increasingly investigated. Objective: To analyze how the recovery process is perceived by users with diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and by psychiatrists of the public mental health system. Method: Qualitative multicentric study informed by the theoretical framework of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Participant observation, semistructured interviews and focal groups were used for data collection. Results: Through data analysis the following thematic categories were identified: effects of the illness experience; treatment context at the Psychosocial Care Center; diagnosis; possibilities and expectations related to the future/prognosis; and openness for the experience of others (dialogic position). Conclusion: There are convergence and divergence points between users' and psychiatrists' perspectives about the recovery process. Even so, it is possible to create contexts in which users' experiences illuminate the technical expertise/experience of psychiatrists and vice versa.
Recovery; Illnes Experience; Narrative; Schizophrenia; Community Mental Health Services