This accessible, practical text provides mental health practitioners with the core knowledge and skills they need to be able to care effectively for the physical health of those who have been diagnosed with mental illness.

Linked closely to professional standards, and with a clear values- and evidence-base, the book aims to raise awareness of the physical health needs of individuals with mental health problems, outline the physical health assessment process and suggest health enhancing interventions for use in clinical practice. Consideration will be given to the following aspects of physical wellbeing;

-cardiovascular health

-diabetes

-sexual health

-respiratory health

-cancer

-wound care

-substance misuse

-infection control

-medicine management

Further chapters on legal and ethical issues explain the need to practise appropriately within the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act, while a linking theme throughout the book stresses the importance of health promotion.

Backed up by case examples and with a range of reflective exercises throughout, The Physical Care of People with Mental Health Problems is a key text for students and practitioners working in mental health services. It will also be useful reading for practice nurses, district nurses, midwives and all allied health practitioners.

'This is the seventh volume in the therapeutic communities series and a highly informative and reassuring read for anyone interested in psychodynamic applications, or working with individuals with a mental illness.' - Therapeutic Communities Journal 'Having no first hand experience of working with mental illness from a psychodynamic perspective, I hoped that this book would provide me with an insight in to the therapeutics of mental illness within a community. The book certainly accomplished this and more. In keeping with the "community spirit" I also feel this book would be of interest to those already in the field, both nationally and internationally, as a means of sharing other therapy experiences.' - Therapeutic Communities Journal 'The book is basically an account of the Arbours Crisis Centre in London in the words of therapists who have lived and worked there. Part of the therapeutic community movement and the antipsychiatry tradition of RD Laing, the centre has long provided an alternative approach to mental health care. Of course the book goes beyond simply documenting the development of the centre to offer a an implicit critique of mainstream psychiatric treatment and an argument "for a humane, useful and cost-effective alternative to traditional, physical, psychiatric treatments".' - Mental Health Today A major question facing therapists today is how to treat psychosis effectively while maintaining patients' dignity, self-respect and, as far as possible, their psychological and social functioning. The authors of Beyond Madness have all been associated with the Arbours Crisis Centre in London, a unique facility established in 1973 where therapists and patients, or guests, live together in order to establish a space where extremes of distress can be tolerated, understood and ameliorated. This book provides important and engaging accounts of the special personal and interpersonal care offered by the Arbours Crisis Centre and kindred facilities. The authors demonstrate different ways of working with psychotic persons within individual, group and community settings. They describe the extraordinary experience of living and working at the Centre including the five stages of stay that guests invariably pass through. In addition, they discuss different strategies for intervening, especially with people who self-harm, and provide a theoretical framework for their interventions. They explore issues of power, authority and money, and show that the work of the Centre is cost-effective in comparison to other treatment modes. At a time when biological treatments predominate, Beyond Madness illustrates and argues for a humane, useful and cost-effective alternative to traditional, physical, psychiatric interventions.

This practical guide focuses on the reduced expression and activity often described as constituting negative symptoms of psychosis and schizophrenia. Using engaging activities and case studies to aid learning, it offers alternative explanations for these symptoms and outlines strategies for addressing them in practice.

Grounded in research and accumulated clinical wisdom, this book describes a range of ways to integrate mindfulness and other contemplative practices into clinical work with trauma survivors. The volume showcases treatment approaches that can be tailored to this population's needs, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), and mindful self-compassion (MSC), among others. Featuring vivid case material, the book explores which elements of contemplative traditions support recovery and how to apply them safely. Neurobiological foundations of mindfulness-oriented work are examined. Treatment applications are illustrated for specific trauma populations, such as clients with chronic pain, military veterans, and children and adolescents.