Department of Psychiatry Faculty

Education
BA (Psychology), Emory University, 1982.
BA (Philosophy & Religion), Emory University, 1982.
MA (Philosophy), Emory University, 1982.
MA (Psychology), Duquesne University, 1983.
PhD (Psychology), Duquesne University, 1989

Research Interest
There have been three major foci to my developing program of research: understanding processes of recovery in psychosis; developing and evaluating community-based and psychosocial interventions to promote recovery, and; designing and analyzing policies to foster community integration among people with psychosis.

First, in collaboration with John Strauss I was able to articulate, develop, and apply empirical-qualitative methods to the study of psychosis and processes of recovery. Initially through a series of longitudinal interviews with people living with, and at times recovering from, psychosis I identified a number of common elements in the processes involved in improvement. These findings led to a series of papers beginning in 1992 in which my colleagues and I described the various roles the person with the disorder can play in his or her own recovery as well as in the recovery of his or her peers. Primary among the elements involved in these processes were (re-) establishing a sense of efficacy as a social agent and a sense of belonging among one's non-disabled peers. These appeared to provide cornerstones of recovery, especially for a population that had developed a secondary disability due to prolonged symptoms, impairment, demoralization, and social isolation. Beginning in 1995, we then began to apply these insights, through a participatory research approach, in the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions designed collaboratively with people with prolonged psychosis. Through studies of individual and groups forms of peer support, we identified a number of potential avenues of access for people with disabilities to exit the psychiatric ghettos of community-based systems of care and return to the broader community. This research initially was taken up by the Mental Health Consumer Movement both in the U.S. and elsewhere, and then began to impact clinical psychiatry when we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing participants' social functioning and decreasing their use of intensive and costly services. These studies also have since served as the impetus for large-scale, controlled studies funded by the National Institutes of Health and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration assessing the effectiveness of peer-based and culturally-responsive interventions in increasing access to care and improving functional outcomes among people with psychosis.

On somewhat of a parallel track, my work in public policy has been devoted to developing systems of care that promote the recovery and community integration of people with psychiatric disabilities. These efforts at the local, state, and federal level have involved introducing evidence-based, recovery-oriented, and culturally responsive services and structures across systems of care, and evaluating their effectiveness in improving patient and service system outcomes. Examples of our contributions include peer engagement as an alternative to mandated outpatient treatment and the use of psychiatric advance directives to extend a person's capacity to make his or her own healthcare-related decisions during times of distress or disorganization.

Publications of Note
Davidson, L.; Nickou, C.; Lynch, P.; Moscariello, S.; Sinha, R.; Steiner, J.; Jacobs, S.; & Hoge, M.A.: Beyond Babel: Establishing system-wide principles of collaborative care for adults with serious and persistent mental illness. Research in Social Problems and Public Policy, 2001, 8: 17-42.

Davidson, L.: Living Outside Mental Illness: Qualitative Studies of Recovery in Schizophrenia. New York: New York University Press, 2003.

Davidson, L.; Stayner, D.A.; Nickou, C.; Stryon, T.H.; Rowe, M.; & Chinman, M.J.: "Simply to be let in": Inclusion as a basis for recovery from mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 2001, 24: 375-388. Reprinted in Ausienetter, 2004, 20(1): 10-15.

Davidson, L.; Shahar, G.; Stayner, D.A.; Chinman, M.J.; Rakfeldt, J.; & Tebes, J.K.: Supported socialization for people with psychiatric disabilities: Lessons from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Community Psychology, 2004, 32(4): 453-477.

Davidson, L.; O'Connell, M.; Tondora, J.; Staeheli, M.R.; & Evans, A.C.: Recovery in serious mental illness: A new wine or just a new bottle? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2005, 36(5): 480-487.

Davidson, L.; Harding, C.M.; & Spaniol, L.: Recovery from severe mental illnesses: Research evidence and implications for practice. Volumes 1& 2. Boston, MA: Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation of Boston University, 2005.

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