Trusting on the Edge: Managing Uncertainty and Vulnerability in the Midst of Serious Mental Health Problems

Trust is fundamental to everyday interactions and the functioning of society. How trust develops, or fails to develop, within contexts of severe mental illness is a pertinent topic for social scientists and healthcare professionals, not simply because it is an under-researched area but because heightened uncertainty and amplified vulnerability amidst psychosis represent a crucible of the conditions where trust becomes relevant.

Grounded in research within this crucible, this book explores a number of questions which are central to contemporary theoretical debates around the nature of trust. The authors link these abstract concerns to empirical analysis, involving interviews with service-users, practitioners and managers. This book will appeal to anyone interested in the concept of trust, including social science researchers and students, as well as practitioners, managers and policy makers working with vulnerable people.

Patrick Brown is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. He has published widely on trust, the governance of risk, and connections between these two processes.

Michael Calnan is Professor of Medical Sociology at the University of Kent. He has worked in health policy and health services research and training for over 20 years, with his current research interests including diffusion and innovation in health care and technology, trust and health care, dignity and the provision of health and social care for older people.