MentalIllness

Mentalillnessisahighlycontroversialandcontestedfield,informedbytheideasandresearchofacademicsandpractitionersworkinginpsychiatry,psychology,pharmacology,sociology,geneticsandtheneurosciences.Thisbookbringsclaritytoacomplexfield,exploringcoreissuesrangingfromdebatesaboutthewaytheconcepthasbeendevelopedandexpandedovertimetocontroversiesoverthecausesofmentalillness.Theauthorevaluatescritiquesoftheconceptofmentalillnessandofthewayitsexpandingboundariesnowdefineafarwiderrangeofmentalstates,experiencesandactivitiesaspathological.Arguingthattheseboundariesneedtoberestricted,theauthorcontendsthatmanyofthephenomenaidentifiedasmentalillnessarenormalreactionstolife′sdifficultiesandthat,whileindividualsmayneedsupport,itisnotappropriateorhelpfulforsuchphenomenatobetreatedasindicativeofmentaldisorder.Otherimportanttopicscoveredincludethewaymentalillnessismeasured,itsdistributionacrosspopulationsandovertime,andthedifferenttypesofcareprovidedforthosewithidentifiedmentalillness.MentalIllnesswillproveinvaluableforintendingpractitionersinmedicine,psychiatry,mentalhealthnursing,socialwork,andclinicalandhealthpsychology,aswellasforstudentsinpsychology,sociologyandthehealthsciences.