In a collection of more than 50 readings, Mental Health Still Matters reflects the wide diversity of views about how best to understand and explain mental health and distress. Drawing on writings from a range of academic sources, as well as the rich and compelling stories of mental health service users themselves, it provides a sharp challenge to traditional understandings of mental illness and aims to illuminate future thinking, policy and practice.

As a sister volume to the best-selling Mental Health Matters, it combines classic writings about mental health theories, perspectives and practices from psychiatry, sociology, psychology and service users, alongside newly commissioned readings. The book is divided into four parts:

• Part I discusses and critiques mental health theory in an exploration of contemporary debates.
• Part II considers social inclusion as a goal for mental health services and reviews aspects of the services in which inequality continues to dominate.
• Part III offers accounts of mental distress by service users, many of whom have used their experience to become teachers, researchers and innovators in mental health work.
• Part IV considers some of the challenges faced by practitioners alongside professional responses to the major changes we are seeing in the landscape of mental health.

This is an important and innovative collection of readings which has strong cross-disciplinary relevance and appeal. It is essential reading for everyone studying, training or practising in the field of mental health, whether your background is in social studies, health science, medicine or psychology.

General Introduction
PART I: DEBATES AND THEORIES
Introduction; J.S.R.Leach
Diverse Approaches to Mental Health and Distress; J.S.R.Leach
Roll over Kraepelin; R.Bentall
Reclaiming the Humanity in Personality Disorder; K.Wright, K.Haigh & M.McKeown
Twenty-five years of Disagreeing with Psychiatry; L.Johnstone
The Distinction Between Mental and Physical Illness; R.E.Kendall
The Service User/Survivor Movement; P.Campbell
Thinking about 'Mental Health': Towards a Social Model; P.Beresford
Recovery: The Lived Experience of Rehabilitation; P.E.Deegan
Spirituality and Mental Health; S.Fernando
Big Boys don't Cry? Mental Health and the Politics of Gender; P.Thomas
Madness and Misogyny: My Mother and Myself; J.M.Ussher
Strategies for Promoting the Mental Health of Populations; E.Lahtinen, N.Joubert, J.Raeburn & R.Jenkins
PART II: INEQUALITY AND POLICY 
Introduction; M.McCormick
Mental Health and Inequality; R.Gomm
The Relevance of Moral Treatment to Contemporary Mental Health Care; A.Borthwick, C.Holman, D.Kennard, M.McFetridge, K.Messruther & J.Wilkes
Challenging Discrimination: Promoting Rights and Citizenship; J.Repper & R.Perkins
From Social Exclusion to Inclusion? A Critique of the Inclusion Imperative in Mental Health; H.Spandler
(Mis)representing Mental Distress?; M.Walsh
Why are we not getting any closer to preventing suicide?; D.DeLeo
Mental Health, Mental Disorder, Risk and Public Protection; H.Kemshall
The Challenge of Shared Care; M.Flanagan
Black Communities, Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System; D.Brown
Reflections on British Forensic Psychiatry in 2003; J.Gunn
Social Capital and Mental Health; M.Webber
PART III: SERVICE USERS' EXPERIENCES AND PERSPECTIVES
Introduction; J.Wallcraft
Experiences of 'Care' in Mental Health; J.Henderson
Two Accounts of Mental Distress; J.O'Hagan
Life Stories 1 - Wresting his own future; P.Barham
Life Stories 2 - Ron Coleman; J.Laurance
Hearing voices; I.Leudar, P.Thomas, J.Thomas, J.Holloway & E.Craig
The Recovery of Hope; A.Williams
Two Hours Fifty Five Minutes; V.Dewan
Are We Who We Say We Are - or Who You Think We Are?; P.Trivedi
What Black Women want from the Mental Health Services; P.Chambers
Harm Minimisation: Limiting the Damage of Self-injury; L.Pembroke
My Right to Choose; A.Wells
Reclaiming Mad Experience; R.May
Service Users' Accounts of Finding Work; Anon & K.Parton
Holistic Approaches in Mental Health; J.Wallcraft
From Passive Subjects to Equal Partners; P.Trivedi & T.Wykes
User-led Research and Evidence-based Medicine; A.Faulkner & P.Thomas
PART IV: CHALLENGES FOR PRACTICE
Introduction; T.Heller & M.Walsh
Postpsychiatry: A New Direction for Mental Health; P.Bracken & P.Thomas
Formal Observation and Engagement: A Discussion Paper; N.Bowles, P.Dodds, D.Hackney, C.Sunderland & P.Thomas
Evaluating Partnerships: A Case Study of Integrated Specialist Mental Health Services; T.Freeman & E.Peck
Deconstructing Psychiatric Drug Treatment; J.Moncrieff
All you need is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?; J.Holmes
Recovery from Mental Illness as an Emergent Concept and Practice in Australia and the UK; S.Ramon, D.Healy & N.Renouf
What is Person-centred Care in Dementia? D.Brooker
Getting Through: How to Help with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia; M.Duker & R.Slade
Responding to People Affected by Major Incidents; J.Shackman
Still Doing Being Human; T.Heller 
Index
 
 

JILL REYNOLDS is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.
ROSEMARY MUSTON is Course Manager in the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.
TOM HELLER is Senior Lecturer in Health Studies at the Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.
JONATHAN LEACH is Lecturer in health and social care at The Open University, UK.
MICK MCCORMICK is Lecturer in social work with The Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University, UK.
JAN WALLCRAFT is a freelance consultant. 
MARK WALSH is a writer, teacher and mental health nurse. 

Mental Health Matters

Edited by Tom Heller, Jill Reynolds, Roger Gomm, Rosemary Muston, and Stephen Pattison

Published in 1996 (2000 in Paperback) by Palgrave Macmillan

Mental Health Matters is an innovative, interdisciplinary collection of texts which challenge traditional understandings of mental health, emphasising the perspectives of mental health service-users. Combining classic writings about mental health practices and problems from psychiatry, sociology and psychology with specially commissioned new articles, it considers theories and debates in mental health and distress; the social and historical dimensions of mental health; involving users in mental health services and practically improving those services.

Visit http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=254590 for more information, or to order a copy.

"It's short but succint chapters make it very readable text. This is a robust addition to the original text and will no doubt become a valuable resource to those studying in this area."
- Ian Warwick, Lecturer at London Metrpolitan University, UK
 
"An excellent starting point to stimulating debate on contemporary issues in mental health."
- Ian Mathews, Lecturer at University of Huddersfield, UK