This revised and expanded third edition text utilizes a public health framework and the latest epidemiological, treatment, and service systems research to promote a comprehensive understanding of the organization, financing, and delivery of mental health and substance abuse services in the United States. Written by national experts in the field, this timely work will provide policymakers, administrators, clinicians, and public health and behavioral health graduate students with the knowledge base needed to manage and transform mental health service systems, both nationally and locally.
The book is unique in providing a public health framework of the most significant issues facing mental health policy makers, administrators, planners, and practitioners. It combines issues (e.g., evaluation; law; ethnicity) that extend across different age groups, treatment settings, and disorders, with issues that are population and disorder specific.
The publication of this book is timely for those involved with the debate over national health care reform legislation, and provides important and timely information (on populations at-risk for mental disorders, services, and systems issues) for those responsible for implementing policies and programs resulting from this reform effort.

Tens of thousands of readers have relied on this leading text and practitioner reference--now revised and updated--to understand the issues the legal system most commonly asks mental health professionals to address. The volume demystifies the forensic psychological assessment process and provides guidelines for participating effectively and ethically in legal proceedings. Presented are clinical and legal concepts and evidence-based assessment procedures pertaining to criminal and civil competencies, the insanity defense and related doctrines, sentencing, civil commitment, personal injury claims, antidiscrimination laws, child custody, juvenile justice, and other justice-related areas. Case examples, exercises, and a glossary facilitate learning; 19 sample reports illustrate how to conduct and write up thorough, legally admissible evaluations. New to This Edition *Extensively revised to reflect important legal, empirical, and clinical developments. *Increased attention to medical and neuroscientific research. *New protocols relevant to competence, risk assessment, child custody, and mental injury evaluations. *Updates on insanity, sentencing, civil commitment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security, juvenile and family law, and the admissibility of expert testimony. *Material on immigration law (including a sample report) and international law. *New and revised sample reports.