Rural mental health : issues, policies, and best practices /

This book presents an array of topics related to the provision of mental health services in rural areas. The discussion of community partnerships and collaborations along with the case presentations are strengths. The work also provides interesting perspectives on religion and culture. Chapter contributors address the ongoing issues of accessibility, availability, and acceptability, which have resulted in the creation of new service delivery models. Other topics explored in the rural context include the lack of providers, poverty, distance, isolation, stigma, and perceptions of therapy. The chapters on mental health services for rural veterans, increased substance use/abuse in rural youth, and mental health care for rural older adults and their families are timely and relevant. Contributors, mostly from the US, range from clinicians to university-based researchers. However, a significant omission is glaringly apparent. There is little, if any, recognition of the important contributions of other rural mental health providers such as advanced practice nurses and social workers. Reading page and page of text discussing physicians and psychologists fosters this continuing issue. A more comprehensive inclusion of real-world providers would make the book more relevant and more useful to a wider audience. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. Clawson University of Central Missouri