Purpose
This paper aims to highlight the key barriers and discuss ways to address them. Several studies have called for strengthening public mental health systems to cater to the rising burden of mental morbidities. While countries gradually shift toward population-level measures for mental health and creating supportive policies and frameworks, literature highlights that the existing public mental health systems are not comprehensive, and many particularly lack a recovery-focused approach. Several structural and systemic challenges hinder the adoption of a recovery-focused approach in public mental health systems.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors deliberate upon the factors that influence the adoption of a recovery-focused approach in the public mental health system, drawing on experience from the Indian context and available evidence. The study discusses how these factors dampen the adoption of a recovery-focused approach and present recommendations to overcome them.

Findings
The study focuses the discussion on three specific factors that are closely linked with the integration of a recovery-focused approach: moving from “biomedical model” to “biopsychosocial model” of care, “strengthening rehabilitation education and training opportunities,” and “promoting recovery-oriented practices within integrated service settings.”

Practical implications
As countries gradually adopt progressive mental health and public health policies, a public mental health approach is gaining traction. A timely discussion of the factors that hinder a recovery-focused approach, along with recommendations to address them, can help shape the design and delivery of public mental health policies and systems.

Originality/value
The study highlights key factors influencing the adoption of a recovery-focused approach and proposes actionable solutions to shape public mental health systems into comprehensive, recovery-oriented systems.