Mental Health Promotion: Policy, Practice and Partnerships

Mental Health Promotion is one of the key challenges in the Health of the Nation targets and yet it is a relatively new concept for health care professionals. This book seeks to identify and contextualise what mental health promotion is and to explore how it can be supported and promoted in today's society, for both vulnerable groups and the general population.
Diverse factors including class, gender, age, ethnicity, disability, the family and the environment impact both on mental health and the services available. This book reflects this, and provides an overview of the environment of service provision and planning, and the impact of research and education on the development of good practice. The aim of the book is to encourage the reader to reflect and formulate their own responses to the following key questions:

What constitutes good mental health?

What are the implications of mental health promotion for practitioners?

How can we best evaluate strategic approaches and incorporate them in to service delivery?

What implications are there for the purchasing agenda and for training and education?

How can users of services be more involved?
Providing a comprehensive and practice-focused introduction to this challenging area, this book will be an essential resource for specialist and non-specialist mental health practitioners, and students identifying how they can best develop their work in this challenging area. It will also be of great interest to health promotion specialists.

Defines what mental health promotion means in the current context of mental health service provision

Identifies practical responses for professionals

Focuses on user-involvement

Highlights examples of good practice

Provides critique of current research education and policy approaches

Accessible, research-based text

Gary F. McCulloch BA (Hons), RMN, Dip HP is Senior Health Promotion Specialist - Mental Health, Sheffield Health, Sheffield, UK.