A handbook for the study of mental health : social contexts, theories, and systems /

Scheid (sociology, Univ. of North Carolina, Charlotte) and Wright (public policy and sociology, Georgia State Univ.) have edited the third edition of this comprehensive text. Similar to previous editions, this collection interrogates the sociology of mental health by presenting an overview of the historical, social, and institutional frameworks for understanding mental health and illness. This new edition explores relationships among social factors that shape psychiatric definition and diagnosis, as well as the measurement of mental health treatment and delivery. The expansive volume showcases 28 articles that examine the current state of resources and approaches toward mental illness treatment. The editors present a keen purview on understanding and interpretation of mental illness through sociological, clinical, cultural, and historical lenses. The third edition also includes timely commentary on the impact of the Affordable Care Act on treatment, research, and support in the realm of mental illness. Advocates and policy makers, as well as anyone in the field seeking to understand mental health and mental health delivery systems, will find this volume to be an enormously insightful resource. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. --Luther Hill Taylor, Oregon Health & Science University