David Whitwell's thesis is that it is not conventional psychiatric treatment that is key to recovery but non-specific aspects of care such as support, safety, general health, good relationships. The author's conclusion is that recovery should be adopted as the goal of mental health services. Treatment then becomes just one option that can be used in certain situations, for example acute psychiatry becomes a particular set of procedures for dealing with essentially urgent and dangerous situations - as a special kind of first aid which needs to be fitted into the individual's long-term recovery plan.