A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health
Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems

The third edition of A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health presents a comprehensive review of the sociology of mental health.

Teresa L. Scheid (Edited by), Eric R. Wright (Edited by)

9781316500965, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 June 2017

818 pages, 36 b/w illus. 15 tables
25.3 x 17.8 x 3.8 cm, 1.69 kg

With chapters written by leading scholars and researchers, the third edition of A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health provides an updated, comprehensive review of the sociology of mental health. The volume presents an overview of the historical, social, and institutional frameworks for understanding mental health and illness. Part I examines the social factors that shape psychiatric diagnosis and the measurement of mental health and illness, the theories that explain the definition and treatment of mental disorders, and cultural variability in mental health. The section addresses the DSM-5 and its potential influence on diagnosis and research on mental health outcomes. Part II investigates the effects of social context on mental health and illness. Part III focuses on the organization, delivery, and social context of mental health treatment. The chapters in Part III address the likely impact of the Affordable Care Act on mental health care. This volume is a key resource for students, researchers, advocates, and policymakers seeking to understand mental health and mental health delivery systems.

Foreword David Mechanic
Part I. Theoretical Perspectives on Mental Health and Illness Teresa L. Scheid and Eric R. Wright: 1. An overview of sociological perspectives on the definitions, causes, and responses to mental health and illness Allan V. Horwitz
2. The measurement of mental disorder Jerome C. Wakefield and Mark F. Schmitz
3. Defining mental disorders: sociological investigations into the classification of mental disorders Owen Whooley
4. The dual continua model: the foundation of the sociology of mental health and mental illness Corey L. M. Keyes
5. What outcomes should the study of mental health try to explain? Jason Schnittker
6. Biological approaches to psychiatric disorders: a sociological approach Sharon Schwartz and Cheryl Corcoran
7. Sociological approaches to mental illness Peggy Thoits
8. Mental health in cross-cultural context Harriet P. Lefley
Part II. The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness Teresa L. Scheid and Eric R. Wright: 9. Studying stress in the twenty-first century: stress concepts and research Blair Wheaton and Shirin Montazer
10. Understanding the connection between social support and mental health Robyn Lewis Brown and Gabriele Ciciurkaite
11. Work and unemployment as stressors Laura Limonic and Mary Clare Lennon
12. Socioeconomic stratification and mental disorder William W. Eaton and Carles Muntaner
13. Gender and mental health Sara Rosenfield, Dena Smith and Kelly Kato
14. Race and mental health David R. Williams, Manuela Costa (Wiedemeier) and Jacinta P. Leavell
15. African American women and mental well-being: the triangulation of race, gender, and socioeconomic status Verna M. Keith and Diane R. Brown
16. Marital status and mental health Kristi Williams, Adrianne Frech and Daniel L. Carlson
17. Well-being across the life course John Mirowsky and Catherine Ross
18. Mental health and terrorism Robert J. Johnson, Stevan E. Hobfoll and Isabelle Beulaygue
Part III. Mental Health Systems and Policy Teresa L. Scheid and Eric R. Wright: 19. Labeling and stigma Bruce G. Link and Jo Phelan
20. The context and dynamic social processes underlying mental health treatment: classic and contemporary approaches to understanding individuals' responses to illness in light of the Affordable Care Act Bernice A. Pescosolido and Carol A. Boyer
21. Community mental health care organizations Kerry Dobransky
22. Integrating service delivery systems for persons with severe mental illness Gary S. Cuddeback and Joseph P. Morrissey
23. Mental illness and the criminal justice system Virginia Aldigé Hiday and Bradley Ray
24. Cultural diversity and mental health treatment Bonki Woo, Emily Walton and David T. Takeuchi
25. Preventing adolescent suicidal behavior: integrating sociology and public health Alexander Crosby and Leigh A. Willis
26. The mental health consumers/survivors movement in the US Athena McLean
27. The HIV-mental health challenge James Walkup and Stephen Crystal
28. Mental health policy in the United States: critical reflection and future directions for sociological research Dennis P. Watson, Erin L. Adams and Joanna R. Jackson
Epilogue: the three solitudes of the sociology of mental health William Avison.

Subject Areas: Clinical psychology [MMJ], Psychiatry [MMH], Medical sociology [MBS], Health psychology [MBNH9], Sociology [JHB]