Social justice entails equal access to liberties, rights, and
opportunities, as well as care for the least advantaged members of
society. The paradigm-shifting new book Social (In)Justice and
Mental Health addresses the ways in which society's failure to
deliver on that humane ideal harms people with mental illness. The
editors, at the forefront of the effort to make psychiatry
responsive to critiques of institutional racism, argue that in the
United States, a perfect storm of unfair and unjust policies and
practices, bolstered by deep-seated beliefs about the inferiority
of some groups, has led to a small number of people having
tremendous advantages, freedoms, and opportunities, while a growing
number are denied those liberties and rights. Mental health
clinicians bear a special responsibility to be aware of these
structural inequities, to question their own biases, to intervene
on behalf of patients and their families, and to advocate for
mental health equity. To that end, the book provides a framework
for thinking about why these inequities exist and persist and
provides clinicians with a road map to address these inequalities
as they relate to racism, the criminal justice system, and other
systems and diagnoses. The book is hands-on, with topics mental
health clinicians will find timely and relevant: * The role of
social injustice and specific diagnoses and conditions, including
substance use disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, and
child trauma, is covered. For example, research has shown that
white psychiatrists are more likely to over diagnose schizophrenia
in Black patients, and this diagnostic bias may partly account for
Black men being involuntarily committed to mental institutions in
higher numbers.* The authors advocate for research that prioritizes
the needs of participants and communities, rather than the needs of
institutions, and focuses on structural, not individual-level,
differences.* Accompaniment, an important strategy for infusing
social justice into clinical practice, is described and modeled.
This process of radical empathy-of trying to minimize power
dynamics in clinical relationships by listening, witnessing, and
advocating with patients-is critically important in confronting
mental health inequities. * The inadequacy of current medical and
mental health education and training in countering the powerful
forces of social injustice in mental health is discussed in detail.
The authors emphasize that change requires adopting an active
practice of self-study and self-reflection, and accordingly, a list
of self-study resources, consisting of books, documentaries,
podcasts, and TED talks, is provided to further the reader's
knowledge and awareness. * Of further assistance are the
chapter-ending "Questions for Self-Reflection," which challenge
mental health clinicians to examine their own attitudes and
preconceived ideas about race, poverty, disabilities, and
privilege. Social (In)Justice and Mental Health addresses the
context in which mental health care is delivered, strategies for
raising consciousness in the mental health profession, and ways to
improve treatment while redressing injustice. Clinicians owe it to
themselves, their patients, and their profession to read-and
heed-this important work.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
(1)
