Over the last forty years, there have been numerous attempts to critique the theory and practice of mental health care. Taking its lead from anti-psychiatry, Critical Perspectives on Mental Health seeks to explore and evaluate the claims of mainstream mental health ideologies and to establish what implications the critiques of these perspectives have for practice. This text will be essential reading for students and those working in the social work and mental health care professions.

Vicki Coppock is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Work at Edge Hill College; John Hopton is a Lecturer in Applied Social Studies at the University of Manchester.

Introduction 1. The Historical Maze 2. From Asylum to Community: Relocating Psychiatry 3. Alternative Models of Managing Mental Distress 4. Anti-Psychiatry: Passing Fad or Force for Change? 5. Gender and Race Critiques of Psychiatry 6. Crises of Legitimacy 7. Towards a New Critical Perspective on Mental Health Care 8. Implications for Practice Bibliography Index