Taking forward the debate on the role and power of institutions for treating and incarcerating the insane, this volume challenges recent scholarship and focuses on a wide range of factors impacting on the care and confinement of the insane since 1850, including such things as the community, Poor Law authorities, local government and the voluntary sector. Questioning the notion that institutions were generally 'benign' and responsive to the needs of households, this work also emphasizes the important role of the diversity of interests in shaping institutional facilities. A fresh, stimulating step forward in the history of institutional care, Mental Illness and Learning Disability since 1850 is undoubtedly an important resource for student and scholar alike.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. This book examines many of the predominant issues in the field of social work in mental health and substance abuse today. Topics discussed include incarceration of drug abusers, methadone treatment for heroin users, and substance abuse among sex workers. It also examines how parental smoking affects children's attitudes, binge drinking, and the correlation between depression and sociodemographic factors. The book also explores help for homeless drug abusers and more.

Over the last century public health efforts, such as immunization, safer food practices, public health education and promotion, improved sanitation, and water purification have been very successful in eradicating and controlling a host of diseases. The result has been a dramatic improvement in health and life expectancy. However, the impact that mental illnesses have on individuals and society as a whole has largely been overlooked by the discipline.This pioneering volume examines the evidence-base for incorporating mental health into the public health agenda by linking the available research on population mental health with public mental health policy and practice. Issues covered in the book include the influence of health and mental health policies on the care and well-being of individuals with mental illness, the interconnectedness of physical and mental disorders, the obstacles to adopting a public health orientation to mental health/mental illness, and the potential application of public health models of intervention.Setting out a unique and innovative model for integrated public mental health care, Population Mental Health identifies the tools and strategies of public health practice surveillance and screening, early identification, preventive interventions, health promotion and community action and their application to twenty-first century public mental health policy and practice.

This new edition of Social Work Practice in Mental Health builds on the underpinning principles of the previous editions whilst reflecting how the context for practice has steadily evolved. Organised into two parts and 11 chapters, the book focuses on recovery theory, the importance of relationship and examining the social context and the consequences of illness. It explores the perspectives of consumers and family carers in shaping practice together with a focus on skills including assessment and risk assessment, working in a multidisciplinary team, working with trauma, working within a legal framework and spirituality in practice. The book also maintains the key themes from previous editions of valuing lived experience and the importance of relationships. This book will be essential reading for social work students and an invaluable resource for practitioners in social work and mental health.

Insanity, identity and empire examines the formation of colonial social identities inside the institutions for the insane in Australia and New Zealand. Taking a large sample of patient records, it pays particular attention to gender, ethnicity and class as categories of analysis, reminding us of the varied journeys of immigrants to the colonies and of how and where they stopped, for different reasons, inside the social institutions of the period. It is about their stories of mobility, how these were told and produced inside institutions for the insane, and how, in the telling, colonial identities were asserted and formed. Having engaged with the structural imperatives of empire and with the varied imperial meanings of gender, sexuality and medicine, historians have considered the movements of travellers, migrants, military bodies and medical personnel, and 'transnational lives'. This book examines an empire-wide discourse of 'madness' as part of this inquiry. -- .

This book grows out of the optimistic view that mental retardation can be treated. It views mental retardation primarily as a behavioral problem. A child is diagnosed as retarded primarily because he behaves in certain maladaptive ways, not simply because he may have a chromosomal anomaly. The contributors view any intervention intended to produce adaptive changes in the behavior of the retarded as "treatment." The authors come from the fields of medicine, special education, and speech and hearing, as well as from psychology.

The book is intended to help students and workers in the field apply research findings and theoretical formulations in their appraisal and treatment of mental retardation. The primary emphasis of the book is empirical. While many of the author's suggestions have not been subjected to rigorous experimental scrutiny, almost all have been derived from close examination of the research literature.

A wide diversity of topics are included in this volume. Criteria employed were the relevance of the topic to the understanding and modifi cation of defective behavior; and the subject's popularity or neglect in other sources. Ameliorating Mental Disability will be of interest to medical officers in institutions for the mentally challenged, lecturers giving courses for teachers of the educationally subnormal, and to psychologists, social workers, and teachers.

The original Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First by Tom Kitwood was published by Open University Press in 1997. It was a seminal text in the field of dementia studies and is still cited and referenced as core reading on person-centred dementia care. Tom died unexpectedly, just 12 months after the book was published. This book continues to inspire many people to challenge simplistic paradigms about dementia. Since the original book was written, however, there have been many changes in our understanding of dementia. The editor of this new edition, Dawn Brooker was mentored by Tom Kitwood. She has drawn together a remarkable group of writers to provide a commentary on Kitwood's work. This new edition reproduces the original chapters but provides extra content from subject experts to update the book to a contemporary level. Dementia Reconsidered Re-visited is an ideal main text or supplementary text for all those studying or working in nursing, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, adult education, gerontology and health and social care more generally. "This important book does three things. It brings to a new generation the insight and vision of Tom Kitwood. It highlights the remarkable progress we have made in recent years. But most important of all it reminds us what still needs to be done if we are to fully respect the rights of people with dementia and their family care-givers. Kitwood inspired Alzheimer's Society to knit together research, care, and societal change. We are now re-inspired to make sure all progress is evidenced and evaluated for its impact. We must realise the enormous opportunities the digital age offers people affected by dementia but in doing so constantly listen to and learn from their many and varied voices across nations and cultures." Jeremy Hughes CBE, Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Society, UK

People with autism often experience difficulty in understanding and expressing their emotions and react to losses in different ways or in ways that carers do not understand. In order to provide effective support, carers need to have the understanding, the skills and appropriate resources to work through these emotional reactions with them. Autism and Loss is a complete resource that covers a variety of kinds of loss, including bereavement, loss of friends or staff, loss of home or possessions and loss of health. Rooted in the latest research on loss and autism, yet written in an accessible style, the resource includes a wealth of factsheets and practical tools that provide formal and informal carers with authoritative, tried and tested guidance. This is an essential resource for professional and informal carers working with people with autism who are coping with any kind of loss.

This new edition of Mental Health in a Multi-Ethnic Society is an authoritative, comprehensive guide on issues around race, culture and mental health service provision. It has been updated to reflect the changes in the UK over the last ten years and features entirely new chapters by over twenty authors, expanding the range of topics by including issues of particular concern for women, family therapy, and mental health of refugees and asylum seekers. Divided into four sections the book covers: issues around mental health service provision for black and minority ethnic (BME) communities including refugees and asylum seekers critical accounts of how these issues may be confronted, with examples of projects that attempt to do just that programs and innovative services that appear to meet some of the needs of BME communities a critical but constructive account of lessons to be drawn from earlier sections and discussion of the way ahead. With chapters on training, service user involvement, policy development and service provision Mental Health in a Multi-Ethnic Society will appeal to academics, professionals, trainers and managers, as well as providing up-to-date information for a general readership.

From the ideological crucible of the Reformation emerged an embittered contest for the human soul. In the care of souls, the clergy zealously dispensed spiritual physic; for countless early modern Europeans, the first echelon of mental health care. During its heyday, spiritual physic touched the lives of thousands, from penitents and pilgrims to demoniacs and mad people. Ironically, the phenomenon remains largely unexplored. Why? Through case histories from among the records of over 1,000 troubled and desperate individuals, this regional study of Bavaria investigates spiritual physic as a popular ritual practice during a tumultuous era of religious strife, material crises, moral repression and witch hunting. By the mid-seventeenth century, secular forces ushered in a psychological revolution across Europe. However, spiritual physic ensconced itself by proxy upon emergent bourgeois psychiatry. Today, its remnants raise haunting questions about science and the pursuit of objective knowledge in the ephemeral realm of human consciousness.

Community Life for the Mentally Ill presents a social innovative experiment aimed at providing new and more participating social positions in American society for mental patients. It presents the events that occurred when a courageous group of former chronic mental patients abruptly left a hospital and established their own autonomous sub-society in a large, metropolitan area.

In order to complete this experiment, the patients created a small society in the community where discharged patients could live and work. Others evaluated the effects of the newly created society upon the behavior and perceptions of its members, which is also presented here. Both the descriptive and comparative aspects of this study are presented as they occurred in real life. The book is concerned with the medical, economic, sociological, and psychological facets of these former patients' daily lives. The effects of this small society upon the neighborhood and city in which it was located, as well as its effects upon professional persons, are richly explored.

Clearly defining a radical departure from standard methods for treating the mentally ill, the authors conclude that such an autonomous society can thrive in the appropriate setting; the ex-patient's chances of employment are increased and the chance of recidivism are reduced; the member's self-esteem is enhanced; treatment costs are greatly reduced; the community adjustment of all members is increased, especially among those who have been hospitalized for a long period. With new guidelines for identifying danger zones in urban settings, this becomes a critical work.

George W. Fairweather was professor of psychology at Michigan State University and is author of Methods for Experimental Social Innovation and Social Psychology in Treating Mental Illness. David H. Sanders was professor of psychology and psychiatry at Michigan State University. He has also been a research associate at Stanford University. David L. Cressler and Hugo Maynard were professors of psychology at Portland State University. They have also been research associates at Stanford University.

Clinical Manual for Management of Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents was written in response to the growing body of knowledge surrounding pediatric bipolar illness and the underlying biological, environmental, and psychosocial influences that exacerbate symptoms and behavior. Written to provide clinically useful information about diagnosis and management, this manual is a comprehensive collection of empirical evidence, case studies, and the growing number of evidence-based reports on pediatric bipolar disorder over the past five years.

This manual also contains several chapters provided by Dr. Mary Fristad and her team at The Ohio State University -- experts in family and psychosocial aspects of pediatric bipolar disorder. Her contributions, along with vast clinical evidence and the expertise provided by Drs. Kowatch, Findling, and Post, help paint an accurate picture of everything from age onset to the effectiveness of various therapies. In this manual, clinicians can refer to the following tools: - A clinical description of childhood and adolescent bipolar disorder - Management strategies for the patient including daily mood charting- Current medication strategies and tactics- Ways to help patients through the educational system- Resources for clinicians, parents and patients- A review of the future directions for childhood and adolescent bipolar disorder

The many new developments in the field of pediatric bipolar disorder are affirming what this manual emphasizes -- that a combination of family and cognitive-behavior therapy can work in tandem with medical treatments to help young bipolar disorder patients achieve a more balanced life and a greater chance of controlling this illness later in life. The manual demonstrates how the medical community has shifted from asking, "Does bipolar disorder really exist in children and adolescents" to "How can we best predict, diagnose and treat this serious medical disorder" through a review of 25 years of study and insight.

Mental health care provision can be complex and the approach the carer uses can have a detrimental effect on the health of the person being cared for. "Caring for Adults with Mental Health Problems" provides the reader with many examples of thoughts, ideas and perspectives in a user-friendly, easily accessible format. The chapters are divided into discrete sections reflecting contemporary care approaches.

Reference to care in a range of primary and secondary care settings is made throughout the book. Each chapter provides the reader with a clear and concise approach to health care, encouraging the reader to understand and delve deeper. Written by contributors who are experienced clinicians and academics with many years of clinical and academic experience in various health care settings, this text is based upon the principles of care, a foundation text that encourages the student to grow and develop.

"Caring for Adults with Mental Health Problems" is a practice-based handbook or manual that has a sound evidence basis, and one that will challenge and encourage the student to develop a questioning approach to care. The text is designed to be used as a reference book by a variety of readers in either the clinical setting, classroom or at home, in statutory or non-statutory surroundings.

In this important book, one of the most exciting and promising developments in clinical psychology-behavior modification is applied to the treatment of the mentally retarded, particularly those whose behavior poses difficult problems for institutions. Professor Gardner presents an easily intelligible yet detailed account of the concepts and practices of behavior modification and the underlying learning systems, with numerous clinical illustrations of applying specific techniques to various educational and rehabilitation problems. A thorough discussion of the inadequacies of the psychological evaluation systems normally used in education and rehabilitation is offered, along with an alternative behavior analysis approach that provides a method of translating evaluation data into treatment practices. In explaining behavior analysis, the author takes into account the limited behavioral repertoire of the retarded and environmental deficits. Individual chapters on respondent, operant, and observational learning, and a detailed discussion of a functional analysis approach to evaluation, are included. Proven behavior modification strategies are presented along with a review of related research and clinical studies. The book closes with a detailed description of a research program for the design and testing of sheltered workshop systems for the retarded and emotionally disturbed. The positive approach inherent in the belief that behavior is modifiable-even in the severely limited retarded-is in marked contrast to the pessimism of other systems of therapy, education, and training. Also, the author has concentrated throughout on making the book understandable to clinicians and students with no previous knowledge of behavior modification. Besides serving as a valuable handbook for all treatment personnel, the book can also be used as a basic text for various courses dealing with mental retardation. William I. Gardner is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin School of Education; Madison. Professor Gardner has contributed widely to psychology journals and has served on the staff of the President's Panel on Mental Retardation.

This classic book allows its readers for the first time to comprehend the size, organization, staffing and operation of a national system of hospitals and residential services for the subnormal. It also allows for the first time, reliable estimates to be given of the scale and severity of certain problems. The basis has been laid for an evaluation of the effectiveness of hospitals for the subnormal. All this has been made possible by a generous grant from the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children to the Department of Sociology in the University of Essex upon the foundation of the University. Of course, a great deal of further research remains to be done but a preliminary network of information is now available to all those deeply concerned about the handicapped.

This is a study of the range and quality of institutional provisions made in England and Wales for that group of handicapped individuals who are known as mentally deficient. Dr. Morris reports on an investigation, which covered nearly half the hospitals for the sub-normal in the country: many of its findings can only shock and dismay.

The investigation was concerned to discover what facilities-physical, occupational and educational-there was for patients, and to learn more about their social environment. It was also concerned to determine the extent to which both staff and patients are affected by their social environment, and by administrative action, and to learn something of the relationship between the hospital as an institution and the outside community, as well as between the patients and the outside world. In addition, it examined the extent to which the provisions and facilities available met the needs of the patients in relation to their physical and mental handicaps.

Structured clinical management (SCM) is a unified approach to the treatment of people with personality disorder, which is within reach of general mental health professionals without extensive additional training. However, implementation can be fraught with difficulties, and clinical leads, managers, and practitioners can struggle to implement SCM across complex mental health systems. This book provides an easy to read, practical, and detailed guide on how mental health services can implement SCM in their current clinical pathways and how clinicians can transform their general techniques into a coherent interventional approach for people with personality disorder. Containing insights from clinical experts, researchers, service users, and practitioners of SCM from across the UK and Europe, each chapter outlines a core aspect of the SCM model and its delivery in clinical services. Detailed case studies demonstrate real-world applications of the SCM model, and details are provided about the involvement of carers and families, along with tips on enhancing clinical outcomes and increasing service user engagement. This book will be a valuable resource for qualified and in-training mental health professionals, including psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and psychiatrists. It is particularly relevant to those involved in delivering first-line treatments to people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and other personality difficulties.

Mental Health Issues and the Media provides students and professionals in nursing and allied professions, in psychiatry, psychology and related disciplines, with a theoretically grounded introduction to the ways in which our attitudes are shaped by the media.

A wide range of contemporary media help to create attitudes surrounding mental health and illness, and for all health professionals, the ways in which they do so are of immediate concern. Health professionals need to:

• be aware of media influences on their own perceptions and attitudes
• take account of both the negative and positive aspects of media intervention in mental health promotion and public education
• understand the way in which we all interact with media messages and how this affects both practitioners and service users.

Covering the press, literature, film, television and the Internet, this comprehensive text includes practical advice and recommendations on how to combat negative images for service users, healthcare workers and media personnel.

Mental Health Issues and the Media provides students and professionals in nursing and allied professions, in psychiatry, psychology and related disciplines, with a theoretically grounded introduction to the ways in which our attitudes are shaped by the media.

A wide range of contemporary media help to create attitudes surrounding mental health and illness, and for all health professionals, the ways in which they do so are of immediate concern. Health professionals need to:

• be aware of media influences on their own perceptions and attitudes
• take account of both the negative and positive aspects of media intervention in mental health promotion and public education
• understand the way in which we all interact with media messages and how this affects both practitioners and service users.

Covering the press, literature, film, television and the Internet, this comprehensive text includes practical advice and recommendations on how to combat negative images for service users, healthcare workers and media personnel.

The past two decades have seen serious reappraisal of the role of psychiatric institutions and mental health services in modern societies, and in recent years there has been much greater sympathy for the purpose and benefits of dedicated, as well as secure, accommodation from those suffering from more serious forms of mental illness. Taking forward the debate on the role and power of institutions for treating and incarcerating the insane, this volume challenges this recent scholarship and focuses on a wide range of factors impacting on the care and confinement of the insane since 1850, including: the community, poor Law authorities, local government, and the voluntary sector. Questioning the notion that institutions were generally 'benign' and responsive to the needs of households, this work also emphasizes the important role of the diversity of interests in shaping institutional facilities. A fresh, stimulating step forward in the history of institutional care, Mental Illness and Learning Disability Since 1850 is undoubtedly an important resource for student and scholar alike.

A uniqueand effectiveapproach to mental health practice Clinical Case Management for People with Mental Illness combines theory, practice, and plenty of clinical examples to introduce a unique approach to case management that's based on a biopsychosocial vulnerability-stress model. This practice-oriented handbook stresses the dynamic interplay among biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors that influences the developmentand severityof a person's mental illness. Filled with case examples to illustrate the assessment and intervention process, the book is an essential resource for working with people who suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. Author Daniel Fu Keung Wong draws on his experiences as an educator, cognitive therapist, mental health worker, and case manager working in Asia and Australia to explore the concepts and contexts of clinical case management for individuals suffering from mild and chronic mental illness. He guides you through the creative use of various therapeutic approaches that emphasize different aspects of a person's condition that can influence the cause and course of mental illness. Clinical Case Management for People with Mental Illness examines a range of important topics, including the roles and functions of mental health workers, relapse prevention, assessment and clinical intervention, psychiatric crisis management, and working with families. In addition, the book includes checklists, worksheets, activity charts, and three helpful appendices. Clinical Case Management for People with Mental Illness examines: models of assessment microskills in assessment areas of assessment and intervention understanding the roles and psychological reactions of family members assessing and working with individuals with suicidal risk or aggressive behaviors and much more! Clinical Case Management for People with Mental Illness is an essential resource for mental health professionals, including psychologists, occupational therapists, mental health social workers, nurses, counselors, and family social workers.

Schizophrenic Women is a fascinating report on the lives of seventeen families that suffered the experiences associated with the hospitalization of the wife and mother for mental illness. A description and analysis of representative experiences is presented here in an attempt to investigate various key issues--the patterns of family living preceding the crisis leading to medical hospitalization; how the patterns fell apart; how personal and family crises became psychiatric emergencies; how the hospital experiences modified both the immediate crises and the earlier patterns of living--and how durable those changes were once the patients had returned home. The book goes beyond the immediate lives of the women and their families--the authors direct attention to patterns of psychiatric care and to the ways in which such crises as those experienced by these women and their families come to professional attention and are managed. The authors explore how help is found and used and some of the functions hospitalization serves for patients and their families. They point out some of the ways that traditional patterns of psychiatric care limit the power to observe, understand, and effectively influence a pathological course of events. In her new introduction to Schizophrenic Women, Rita J. Simon notes that, "Although the study was conducted in the 1950s, readers will recognize its current relevance and importance for scholars and the lay public interested in the problem of mental illness and intrafamily relationships." Harold Sampson is president and co-founder of the San Francisco Psychotherapy Research Group. He is a member of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute as well as being on the Institute faculty. He is also Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, and is in private practice in San Francisco. Sheldon L. Messinger was professor emeritus, and vice-chair of the Center for the Study of Law and Society at the Law School, University of California, Berkeley. He died in 2003. Robert D. Towne was a psychiatrist and member of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Society. Rita J. Simon is University Professor in the School of Public Affairs at the Washington College of Law at American University. She is the editor of the journal Gender Issues, published by the Transaction Periodicals Consortium.

Designed for psychiatric clinicians of every profession (including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and nurses) as well as for psychiatric educators and their trainees, Money and Outpatient Psychiatry moves readers toward new, effective, and money-wise practices. The book begins by offering a hands-on approach to assessing money management issues in a professional practice. Mikalac shows readers how to do an overall assessment of their financial situation (including how to estimate how much money must be earned to cover expenses) and how to plan for the inevitable financial ups and downs of private practice. The remainder of the first section deals with core issues such as legal and ethical issues (patient contract; informed consent; ethical principles for billing), accounting (understanding cash flow and keeping proper records), and taxes (including how to select the best form of business proprietorship). In the second section of the book Mikalac covers larger matters that affect the financial health of a psychiatric practice. Insurance, managed care, the effects of drug companies, the role of; incentives, kickbacks, and other potential conflicts of interest all of these have an impact of the finances and stability of a practice. These issues are also often of paramount importance to patients, but less often thought about by the practitioner. The final part of the book discusses managing money with patients. Mental health professionals need to know how to discuss money and billing with patients, how to negotiate patient fee reductions (and handle increases), how to manage non-payment (how to avoid this happening as well as what to do when it does), and issues of money transference. Mikalac offers guidelines for how to be money-smart when it comes to working with patients. Money and Outpatient Psychiatry is a resource for psychiatric clinicians of every profession. Whether you are new to private practice or have been working for years without a strong financial plan, this book contains all the information you need to make money matters easier and money management more efficient."

This book provides an overview of a diverse array of preventive strategies relating to mental illness, and identifies their achievements and shortcomings. The chapters in this collection illustrate how researchers, clinicians and policy makers drew inspiration from divergent fields of knowledge and practice: from eugenics, genetics and medication to mental hygiene, child guidance, social welfare, public health and education; from risk management to radical and social psychiatry, architectural design and environmental psychology. It highlights the shifting patterns of biological, social and psychodynamic models, while adopting a gender perspective and considering professional developments as well as changing social and legal contexts, including deinstitutionalisation and social movements. Through vigorous research, the contributors demonstrate that preventive approaches to mental health have a long history, and point to the conclusion that it might well be possible to learn from such historical attempts. The book also explores which of these approaches are worth considering in future and which are best confined to the past. Within this context, the book aims at stoking and informing debate and conversation about how to prevent mental illness and improve mental health in the years to come. Chapters 3, 10, and 12 of this book are available open access under a CC BY 4.0 license at link.springer.com

Originally published in 1997, this title describes therapeutic applications of simple to complex combinations of medications to treat common psychiatric disorders among adults. Dr Joseph discusses practical, clinical guidelines that both the beginner and experienced practitioner will find useful. The 100 psychopharmacological cases presented in Part 2 illustrate the application of the diagnostic and treatment concepts described in Part 1. The cases are grouped into simple, moderately complex, and complex cases. The clinical cases, besides evoking a "hands-on" feeling which facilitates learning, can be used to compare your current treatment approach to that of an experienced and highly successful practicing psychiatrist. A vital addition to every psychiatrist's library, this guidebook is indispensable to those seeking a better understanding of patients' problems from a psychopharmacological perspective that is both practical and effective. Numerous and varied clinical presentations are reduced to treatable symptoms so that even physicians who lack experience with a specific medication or combination of medications will be able to use these interventions successfully. For each of the 100 clinical cases presented in the book, the clinical history, treatment course, medication doses, and treatment outcome are carefully detailed in a step-by-step analysis. Unique features of this book that will be useful to psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and all mental health clinicians include: its symptom-focused approach; its discussion of modern rational polypharmacy; specific dosing guidelines; office management of severe disorders; treatment of special patients, such as celebrities and other doctors; clinical cases; and sample answers to common questions asked by patients. Psychiatrists, psychiatric residents, psychotherapists, psychiatric nurses, and other physicians will find thorough and clear explanations of treatment strategies and their nuances in this volume. Physicians interested in learning balanced and rational use of various psychotropic medication combinations will find themselves turning to this book again and again as they strive to alleviate psychiatric symptoms in patients and exercise techniques that minimize or avoid inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.

According to the World Health Organisation during their lifetime more than one quarter of all individuals will develop one or more mental or behavioural disorders. Given prevalence data like this it is not surprising that wherever they reside on the planet many persons suffering from a mental disorder, or as is more commonly termed in popular parlance a mental illness, are likely to come into contact with police at some stage in their lives. Indeed, research conducted in a number of countries suggests that about 10 per cent of all community police work involves some form of interaction with a person with a mental illness. From a police perspective these encounters are not only frequent but also often sensitive and challenging. Despite the difficulties associated with this important aspect of community policing surprisingly scant attention has been given to the development of empirically tested and established best practice approaches to managing police interactions with persons with mental illnesses. The literature that does exist is principally derived from North American sources although more recent and interesting developments have been reported in Australia and the United Kingdom. The principal aim of Police Responses to People with Mental Illnesses is to seek to reduce this gap in the literature by providing an international overview of some of the latest research and policy developments in the field, and the challenges still to be confronted in many places in overcoming cultural and associated barriers to protecting the rights of the mentally ill. This book was originally published as a special issue of Police Practice and Research: An International Journal.