Mental health is "a state of well-being in which the individual realises his or her own abilities; can cope with the normal stresses of life; can work productively and fruitfully; and is able to make a contribution to his or her community". Mental illness is defined as "collectively, all diagnosable mental disorders" or "health conditions that are characterised by alterations in thinking, mood, or behaviour (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning." Mental disorders, especially depressive disorders, are related to many chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and obesity. In recent years, there has been an alarming number of school shootings with youth or adults involved who are seriously mentally disturbed. There has also been an increase in suicides and mental pathology in the military and in fact, many professionals perceive that the increase in psychiatric drugs negatively impacts our population. In spite of more people receiving psychotropic medication at a large expense to the individual and society, it does not seem that people are getting better on the whole. As a result, there is a need to re-evaluate our policy and interventions, but also a need for more accurate data and information.

Ivor Browne is Professor Emeritus, University College, Dublin and retired as Chief Psychiatrist of the then Eastern Health Board in 1994. This book, through his writings, charts the growth of one man's journey in relation to psychiatry and human development. Ivor Browne has been a central and controversial figure in Irish life up until the mid-nineties when he retired. This book charts the career of a man who has always been respected for his compassion, quirky way of thinking and fearless opposition to orthodox psychiatry. Ivor Browne has had a positive input into Irish life on both sides of the border. As a young man he was given a fellowship to Harvard University where he studied Public and Community Mental Health. He returned to Ireland determined to put what he had learned into practice and it was his initiative which took the care of mental patients away from large institutions into the community. He conceived and was director of the Irish Foundation for Human Development. This set up the first Community Association in Ireland in Ballyfermot one of the early large housing estates in Dublin. Ballyfermot was merely a housing estate without any facilities, he went in with a professional team and helped the residents to turn it into a thriving working class community. This project was so successful that an offshoot was established in Derry, called the Inner City Trust which not only rebuilt, but transformed the city of Derry during the years it was being torn down by both sides in the conflict. The work of rebuilding was done by young people of Derry, who were trained by the Trust and inspired away from taking part in the destruction of their home town. Derry was made a model for The Prince of Wales' urban village development project and other urban renewal developments around the world.

Malaysian psychiatric services and policy show some developments similar to those of the West-yet much of the rhetoric that has informed these changes internationally, such as the discourse of service-user empowerment, has yet to be fully embraced within Malaysia itself. The author argues that an important factor here is that psychiatric services in Malaysia retain many of the premises of colonial psychiatry, particularly in relation to attitudes towards mental illness and psychiatric patients. On the other hand, the geographical and cultural location of Malaysian health services introduces features unique to this region (such as the wide diversity of ethnic groups and the continuing popularity of traditional healing practices). Within this diversity exist belief systems and normative values that are not congruent with the colonial premises that continue to cast an influence over service delivery and associated professional attitudes in Malaysia. The author draws extensively on her own research on psychiatric care in Malaysia, in which the narratives of Malaysian service users and psychiatric staff are interwoven with historical accounts of asylum care in Britain and Europe. The similarities across regions and between the past and the present are thus made apparent. The importance of the book goes beyond its interpretation of the Malaysian context. It will interest to anyone seeking to understand other post-colonial societies (for example, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and India). Although there are differences in history and current developments in relation to attitudes, and the policy and practice of mental health among these countries, we should be aware of the common legacy of the past and its implications for the present and future of their mental health systems. The book will also provide important insights for professionals working in any healthcare system with a culturally diverse client base.

Foster children, often being removed from neglectful or abusive homes, are one of the country's most vulnerable populations. With the often traumatic circumstances that define their early lives, it is no wonder studies show their tendency for more mental health conditions than other children. Facing these and other significant challenges surrounding foster care programs, state authorities, caseworkers, and parents, are given few options on appropriate treatments. These options often include prescribing heavy-duty psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants and, in some cases, even antipsychotics -- drugs which have little research available supporting their use in children. This book examines the practice of medicating America's foster children with a focus on the financial and societal costs.

Employment is the highest priority for many people with severe mental illness and it is a central aspect of recovery. Over the past two decades, the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment has emerged as the prominent evidence-based approach to vocational rehabilitation. This comprehensive monograph synthesizes the research and experience on IPS supported employment: historical context, core principles, effectiveness, long-term outcomes, non-vocational outcomes, cost-effectiveness, generalizability, fidelity, implementation, policy, and future research. A collaboration of the top researchers in the area, this book will have broad appeal to professionals and researchers working with populations with psychiatric disabilities and in community mental health and social service settings. In tracing the evolution of IPS, readers are equipped with an elegant example of the transition from needs assessment, to model development, to testing, and to dissemination.

This book will be the first to focus exclusively on inpatient therapeutic groupwork in acute psychiatry, from a multi-disciplinary perspective. All authors are active groupwork practitioners, who provide vivid case material providing unique insights into the group process. Writers make the argument for the importance of therapeutic groupwork in acute inpatient settings. They describes survey data that show an absence of therapeutic activity on wards and the need for a 'culture of participation'. They describes some national schemes designed to improve the situation, such as the Star Wards initiative. Two authors look the state of research on therapeutic groupwork in inpatient settings, and suggest how the evidence base might be strengthened. The book will be of great value to any mental health professional, whether qualified or in training. Although reflecting experience in British clinical settings, the issues raised have a wider interest for those working to achieve excellent acute inpatient psychiatric settings in other countries.

An exploration of the ways in which ancient theories of empire can inform our understanding of present-day international relations, Enduring Empire engages in a serious discussion of empire as it relates to American foreign policy and global politics.

The imperial power dynamics of ancient Athens and Rome provided fertile ground for the deliberations of many classical thinkers who wrote on the nature of empire: contemplating political sovereignty, autonomy, and citizenship as well as war, peace, and civilization in a world where political boundaries were strained and contested. The contributors to this collection prompt similar questions with their essays and promote a serious contemporary consideration of empire in light of the predominance of the United States and of the doctrine of liberal democracy.

Featuring essays from some of the leading thinkers in the fields of political science, philosophy, history, and classics, Enduring Empire illustrates how lessons gleaned from the Athenian and Roman empires can help us to understand the imperial trajectory of global politics today.

The Sociology of Mental Illness is a comprehensive collection of readings designed to help students develop a nuanced and sophisticated appreciation of the most important, heated--and fascinating--controversies in the field.
Drawing primarily from sociological sources, the text features both classical and contemporary selections that cover the full range of sociological topics, perspectives, and debates, including the social construction of mental illness, the social origins of mental illness, and contemporary mental health treatment. This rich, varied assortment gives students a "roadmap" to the evolution and development of sociological research over time and insight into key controversies in the field.
Selections include such classical readings as Scheff's original statement of labeling theory, contemporary reports on the prevalence of mental illness in countries around the world, and recent analyses of the changing treatment system. The readings are organized progressively in order to help students recognize the dynamic character of mental health research and the important role that controversies play in advancements in the field; this organization also gives students the tools they need to formulate their own views and opinions on crucial matters.
A versatile, engaging text, The Sociology of Mental Illness is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in the sociology of mental illness.

This is the second title in the Groupwork Monographs Series, themed anthologies of papers published over the years in Groupwork each dedicated to one area of groupwork practice. Titles will include Groupwork and Women, Social Action Groupwork, and Groupwork Relations.Books in the series are designed to be useful to students, practitioners, teachers and trainers, and researchers alike. All are invited to sample a pool of knowledge that has accumulated within the pages of Groupwork over almost two decades.

Description

African Caribbeans are 44% more likely to be sectioned, 29% more likely to be forcibly restrained, 50% more likely to be placed in seclusion, and make up 30% of in-patients on medium secure psychiatric wards. This is the stark reality of the African Caribbean experience of mental health in the UK, one which is comparable to the mental health system in South Africa during apartheid, according to Lee Jasper, Chair of the African Caribbean Mental Health Commission. Combining anecdotal evidence from African Caribbean service users and the opinions of African Caribbean mental health professionals, Crisis in the Community explores the reasons behind the disproportionate rates of mental health among a community that comprises only 1% of the country's population. It recounts in full the tragic death of David Bennett at the Norvic Clinic in 1998 and the subsequent independent inquiry which identified institutional racism within mental health services. And it looks at what is being done - and what still needs to be done - to break the culture of fear and mistrust among African Caribbeans towards the mental health system.

About the Author

David Burke is from Mullingar in Ireland and has been living in the UK since 1990. As a journalist he contributes regularly to Rock'n'Reel and Mental Health Today magazines, and works as a Subtitler with Red Bee Media. Married to Shirley, he has a son, Dylan, and stepdaughter, Francesca.

Crazy in America shows how people suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, clinical depression, and other serious psychological illnesses are regularly incarcerated because alternative care is not available. Once behind bars, they are frequently punished again for behavior that is psychotic, not criminal. A compelling and important examination of a shocking human rights abuse in our midst, Crazy in America is an indictment of a society that incarcerates its weakest and most vulnerable citizens -- causing them to emerge sicker and more damaged.

Outreach in the community is the treatment of choice for the severely mentally ill in the community. It involves taking services directly to patients rather than requiring them to attend clinics and hospitals. This approach is a significant addition to routine mental health care practice and addresses the needs of marginalized communities and those that struggle to attend appointments. Outreach in Community Mental Health Care: A Manual for Practitioners has been fully updated since the last edition, providing readers with an in-depth, practical guide to mental health care in the community setting today. It addresses the significant changes in mental health service organizations over the years, including the various new teams devised and the importance of central planning and targets. The authors Tom Burns and Mike Firn are pioneers in this field of research and are active in community outreach as practitioners, researchers, and supervisors. In 29 chapters they cover key discussions in conceptual issues, health and social care practice, management and development, which provides readers with an insight into the reality of community outreach work.

Responding To Individuals With Mental Illnesses Is Designed As A Guide For Recognizing Mental Illnesses And Responding To People Affected By These Disorders, Especially During Times Of Crises. The Text Describe The Signs And Symptoms Of A Variety Of Psychiatric Illnesses, Substance Use Disorders, And Developmental Disabilities, Especially Those That May Be Most Frequently Encountered By First Responders And Public Safety Officials, As Well As Professionals In The Criminal Justice System. Many Of The Chapters Deal With Specific Categories Of Mental Illnesses And Provide Basic Skills To Enhance Interactions With People With These Disorders Who May Be Facing Stressful Situations. This Is Not A Comprehensive Textbook About Psychiatric Disorders, But Rather A Practical Guide That Aims To Enhance Knowledge And Skills For Non-Mental Health Professionals Who Interact With Individuals With Such Illnesses.

The past half-century has been marked by major changes in the treatment of mental illness: important advances in understanding mental illnesses, increases in spending on mental health care and support of people with mental illnesses, and the availability of new medications that are easier for the patient to tolerate. Although these changes have made things better for those who have mental illness, they are not quite enough.

In Better But Not Well, Richard G. Frank and Sherry A. Glied examine the well-being of people with mental illness in the United States over the past fifty years, addressing issues such as economics, treatment, standards of living, rights, and stigma. Marshaling a range of new empirical evidence, they first argue that people with mental illness -- severe and persistent disorders as well as less serious mental health conditions -- are faring better today than in the past. Improvements have come about for unheralded and unexpected reasons. Rather than being a result of more effective mental health treatments, progress has come from the growth of private health insurance and of mainstream social programs -- such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, housing vouchers, and food stamps -- and the development of new treatments that are easier for patients to tolerate and for physicians to manage.

The authors remind us that, despite the progress that has been made, this disadvantaged group remains worse off than most others in society. The "mainstreaming" of persons with mental illness has left a policy void, where governmental institutions responsible for meeting the needs of mental health patients lack resources and programmatic authority. To fill this void, Frank and Glied suggest that institutional resources be applied systematically and routinely to examine and address how federal and state programs affect the well-being of people with mental illness.

"Parents are often trapped in a coercive system in which the daily toll of dealing with misbehaviour leaves them with little positive emotion left to give. Even parents who have been trained in positive parenting fall short of showing enough attachment-rich behaviour. In this treatment program we emphasise interactions applied to non-problematic child behaviour that are rich in caring and shared time. The use of tokens and other artificial rewards are replaced by a focus on love, intimacy and acceptance."

Integrated Family Intervention is a practitioner-focused practical and efficacious family-based treatment for conduct problems, incorporating current empirical knowledge of child and family functioning, and extensive clinical experience. The book provides practitioners with a comprehensive theoretical background, research review, practical advice, and a complete manualised 9-session treatment guide including client handouts. The techniques covered are relevant to all clients struggling to manage their child's behaviour.

Integrated Family Intervention is primarily targeted at children aged 2 to 8 years with conduct problems such as aggression, non-compliance, rule breaking, tantrums, and fighting with siblings. It can be used in a range of contexts from face-to-face individual tertiary treatment to an early intervention for families at risk, and as a universal preventive strategy for all parents in a group format.

The Anatomy of a Suicide by Dorothy Schwarz ISBN: 1-904697-20-8 ISBN 13: 978-1904697-20-6 Published: 2005 Pages: 158 Description This book is the gripping and emotional portrayal of one young woman's ultimately unsuccessful battle against chronic depression. Zoe, was Dorothy's fourth daughter, born in new Delhi in 1972. When she threw herself under a train at the age of 27 in August 2000, Zoe was suffering from deep depression following a bout of mania. After her death Dorothy found her diaries, poems and other writings which she used to build her portrait. Dorothy wants to tell her daughter's story both as a tribute to this beautiful and talented young woman, who succumbed to a terrible illness and also to chart the passage of grief for a family after suicide. Dorothy wants to help remove or lessen the stigma attached to mental illness. Zoe fought hard and long but lost the ultimate battle. Dorothy hopes that the honest account of her life may help other sufferers and their families. Zoe herself would have wanted that. About the Author Dorothy Schwarz was born in London in 1937. She married Walter Schwarz, a journalist, in 1956 and has six children. brought up the kids, taught a bit and wrote children's books and short stories. She now lives and teaches Creative Writing part-time in Colchester. Her main hobby, now that the nest is empty, is a growing collection of parrots and parakeets. She and Walter wrote two books on ecology together, Dorothy's collection of short stories entitled 'Simple Stories about Women' were published by Iron Press in 1998.

An expert summary of our current understanding of bipolar disorder, this reference examines existing theories, treatment regimens, and clinically relevant applications by world authorities in psychiatric research. Divided into four main sections, this guide delves into the diagnosis and epidemiology of bipolar disorder and progresses to discussions of patient care, emerging management approaches, and the underlying biology of the disease.

Object Relations and Self Psychology are two leading schools of psychological thought discussed in social work classrooms and applied by practitioners to a variety of social work populations. Yet both groups have lacked a basic manual for teaching and reference -- until now. For them, Dr. Eda G. Goldstein's book fills a void on two fronts: Part I provides a readable, systematic, and comprehensive review of object relations and self psychology, while Part II gives readers a friendly, step-by-step description and illustration of basic treatment techniques. For educators, this textbook offers a learned and accessible discussion of the major concepts and terminology, treatment principles, and the relationship of object relations and self psychology to classic Freudian theory. Practitioners find within these pages treatment guidelines for such varied problems as illness and disability, the loss of a significant other, and such special problems as substance abuse, child maltreatment, and couple and family disruptions. In a single volume, Dr. Goldstein has met the complex challenges of education and clinical practice.

"Migrants in Translation "is an ethnographic reflection on foreign migration, mental health, and cultural translation in Italy. Its larger context is Europe and the rapid shifts in cultural and political identities that are negotiated between cultural affinity and a multicultural, multiracial Europe. The issue of migration and cultural difference figures as central in the process of forming diverse yet unified European identities. In this context, legal and illegal foreigners--mostly from Eastern Europe and Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa--are often portrayed as a threat to national and supranational identities, security, cultural foundations, and religious values.
This book addresses the legal, therapeutic, and moral techniques of recognition and cultural translation that emerge in response to these social uncertainties. In particular, " Migrants in Translation" focuses on Italian ethno-psychiatry as an emerging technique that provides culturally appropriate therapeutic services exclusively to migrants, political refugees, and victims of torture and trafficking. Cristiana Giordano argues that ethno-psychiatry's focus on cultural identifications as therapeutic--inasmuch as it complies with current political desires for diversity and multiculturalism--also provides a radical critique of psychiatric, legal, and moral categories of inclusion, and allows for a rethinking of the politics of recognition.

Integrated Care: A Guide for Effective Implementation provides a detailed, thoughtful, and experience-based guide to the complex and potentially overwhelming process of implementing an integrated care program. The advantages of integrated care from both the clinical and administrative perspectives are many, including better detection of illness, improvement in overall health outcomes, a better patient care experience, flexibility in responding to policy and financial changes, and an emphasis on return on investment. The book addresses the emerging framework of core principles for effective integrated care, reviews the most up-to-date research on implementation, and presents practice-based experience to serve as a guide. This information is useful in both traditional integration of behavioral health into general medical settings (often primary care) or integrating general medical care into a specialty mental health or substance use treatment setting. Because administrators, clinicians, policy makers, payers and others need guidance in determining what effective implementation looks like, the authors offer a three-part examination of the key components of an implementation strategy and explore the elements essential for success. The book is grounded in the authors' real-world expertise and offers readers practical, accessible information and support: * Often efforts to implement an integrated care program fail because the model is more than just "plug and play." To address this misconception, the authors explore the successful implementation from every angle-from leadership, primary care, therapist, psychiatric provider, and policy perspectives.* As procedural and institutional hurdles are being overcome, codes for integrated care have been adopted. Accordingly, the book provides in-depth coverage of finance and funding models, challenges to billing, and emerging payment models. Each of the chapter authors were selected for their direct clinical experience in various integrated environments, their leadership in ushering teams through these initiatives, and/or their deep knowledge of payment and policy barriers. Impediments to the widespread implementation of evidence-based programs include payment and regulatory barriers, lack of a workforce trained in effective collaboration, and cultural differences between the worlds of primary care and behavioral health care. Integrated Care: A Guide for Effective Implementation helps health care leaders and providers overcome these obstacles to implement a successful, patient-centered integrated care program.

Community Mental Health Is Unique In That It Focuses Specifically On Mental Health At The Community Level. The Authors Carefully Outline The Essential Skills That Health Professionals Need In Order To Identify Mental Health Concerns And Develop Effective Programs For Communities Encountering Symptoms Of Mental Disorders Or Illness. The Text Includes Up-To-Date Information About Mental Health Issues Across The Lifespan, The Mental Health Care System, Prominent Mental Health Concerns Faced By Many Communities, As Well As Information About Interventions And Model Programs. The Breadth Of Topics Related To Community Mental Health Addressed Include: Indicators Of Illness And Problems, Methods Of Prevention And Promotion, Evaluation, And Research. Instructor Resources, Including Powerpoint Presentations, A Testbank, And An Instructor Manual Are Available As Free Downloads.

The law relating to fitness to plead is an increasingly important area of the criminal law. While criminalization may be justified whenever an offender commits a sufficiently serious moral wrong requiring that he or she be called to account, the doctrine of fitness to plead calls this principle into question in the case of a person who lacks the capacity or ability to participate meaningfully in a criminal trial. In light of the emerging focus on capacity-based approaches to decision-making and the international human rights requirement that the law should treat defendants fairly, this volume offers a benchmark for the theory and practice of fitness to plead, providing readers with a unique opportunity to consider differing perspectives and debate on the future development and direction of a doctrine which has up till now been under-discussed and under-researched. The fitness to plead rules stand as an exception to notions of public accountability for criminal wrongdoing yet, despite the doctrine's long-standing function in criminal procedure, it has proven complex to apply in practice and has given rise to many varied legislative models and considerable litigation in different jurisdictions. Particularly troublesome is the question of what is to be done with someone who has been found unfit to stand trial. Here the law is required to balance the need to protect those defendants who are unable to participate effectively in their own trial, whether permanently or for a defined period, and the need to protect the public from people who may have caused serious social harm as a result of their antisocial behaviour. The challenge for law reformers, legislators, and judges, is to create rules that ensure that everyone who can properly be tried is tried, while seeking to preserve confidence in the fairness of the legal system by ensuring that people who cannot properly engage in the criminal trial process are not forced to endure it.

How does it feel when someone you love develops dementia? How do you cope with the shock, the stress and the grief? Can you be sure that you and your family will receive the support you need? In Telling Tales About Dementia, thirty carers from different backgrounds and in different circumstances share their experiences of caring for a parent, partner or friend with dementia. They speak from the heart about love and loss: 'I still find it hard to believe that Alzheimer's has happened to us,' writes one contributor, 'as if we were sent the wrong script.' The stories told here vividly reflect the tragedy of dementia, the gravity of loss, and instances of unsatisfactory diagnosis, treatment and care. But they contain hope and optimism too: clear indications that the quality of people's lives can be enhanced by sensitive support services, by improved understanding of the impact of dementia, by recognising the importance of valuing us all as human beings, and by embracing and sustaining the connections between us. This unique collection of personal accounts will be an engaging read for anyone affected by dementia in a personal or professional context, including relatives of people with dementia, social workers, medical practitioners and care staff.