Self-direction and the Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health—defined by the World Health Organization as “the social factors and physical conditions of the environment in which people are born, live, learn, play, work, and age”—are increasingly discussed as having relevance in community mental health service systems. This brief report describes how self-direction—an approach in which people with serious mental health conditions choose the services and supports that work best for them to support their recovery—is a tool that may directly and uniquely promote the social determinants of health by expanding the bounds of traditional service delivery to address the needs of the whole person.