Background: Previous research shows different experiences of recovery in young adultswith mental illness. Young adults' sense of togetherness matters for mental health recovery, even caregivers’ relations. It also shows that recovery can be experienced in parallel with suffering. Aim: To describe how young adults in psychiatric outpatient care experience recovery. Method: This study has a qualitative design with an inductive approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five persons with mental illness with ages ranging from 18-25 years old, within psychiatric outpatient care in central Sweden. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on the gathered material. Results: Through an overarching theme, involving seven categories and twelve subcategories, experiences of inner and outer factors either hindering or promoting recovery were described. Conclusions: Young adults with mental illness experience a need of individual support from the caregiver, which can strengthen the possibility of finding the right direction in their unique journey towards recovery. Young adults’ experiences show that recovery can be hindered by the loss of direction for oneself and a lack of relations with caregivers. Recovery can be promoted by strengthening the persons’ relation to themselves, identity and the experience of a meaningful context despite mental illness.
Keywords: Experiences, nursing, psychiatric, qualitative, recovery, young adults