Social Inclusion and Mental Health: Understanding Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion

People with mental health conditions are among the most socially excluded groups in society. Mental health conditions are influenced by the social environment, which in turn shapes our social and cultural responses to the people who experience them. Much of what mental health practitioners do is 'essentially social' and the effects of their interventions are hampered by the marginalised status of many of the people that they see. This book documents the ways in which people with mental health conditions are excluded from participating in society and offers some pointers as to how this may be reversed. It highlights the need to reduce mental health inequalities and to consider the importance of material inequalities and social injustices faced by people experiencing mental ill-health. Whilst the challenges are considerable and the solutions wide-ranging, mental health practitioners can play a significant role in facilitating the social inclusion of those with mental health conditions.

Jed Boardman is visiting Senior Lecturer in Social Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK, and Senior Policy Adviser at the Centre for Mental Health, UK. He has worked extensively in social and community psychiatry and has researched and published widely in these areas. He is lead for Social Inclusion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists where he advises on employment, poverty, debt, welfare reform, and recovery. An authority on recovery, employment and community psychiatry, he chaired the Royal College of Psychiatrists Scoping Group on Social Inclusion.

Helen Killaspy is Professor and Honorary Consultant in Rehabilitation Psychiatry at University College, London, UK. Her research focuses on services and interventions for people with complex mental health problems. Her research has provided much needed evidence for the effectiveness of specialist services for people with complex mental health needs. She was awarded the Constance Pascal-Helen Boyle Prize for Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in Working to Improve Mental Health Care in Europe.

Gillian Mezey is Emeritus Professor of Forensic Psychiatry at St George's, University of London, UK. She has published widely on the psychological effects of sexual and physical violence, recovery, and social inclusion. She co-developed the Social Inclusion Questionnaire – User Experience (SInQUE), which is designed to assess social inclusion for people with mental health conditions.