Illness Management and Recovery / IMR-A07-1
Personal Early Warning Signs — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind personal early warning signs and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Casey notices less sleep and difficulty attending usual activities.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Changes can be noticed relative to an individual's usual pattern without self-diagnosis.
The idea
Changes can be noticed relative to an individual's usual pattern without self-diagnosis.
An ordinary example
Casey notices less sleep and difficulty attending usual activities.
What this can look like
With a clinician, list personally meaningful early changes, possible alternative explanations, and agreed response steps.
Check the fit
Which changes should prompt a planned conversation with your team? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A personal recovery goal and a symptom-management strategy serve related but different purposes; the person defines what a meaningful life includes.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- Which changes should prompt a planned conversation with your team?
Conceptual background
Illness Management and Recovery Evidence-Based Practices KIT — SAMHSA
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.