In Canada, at least 5 percent of the population suffers from a serious, persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. While recent years have seen many changes and improvements in the way we respond to the needs of mentally ill persons, there remain divisions of opinion among stakeholder groups about the way mental health services are delivered. Community Mental Health in Canada offers a timely, critical overview of the provision of public mental health services in Canada, looking at where we have come from, the current situation, and where we may be heading. Concise, yet comprehensive, coverage includes: the prevalence and impact of mental illness in Canada the complementary and conflicting interests of stakeholder groups, such as mental health professionals, clients, families, government, and drug companies current and developing initiatives in treatment, rehabilitation, housing, and criminal justice programs the clinical benefits and costs of particular interventions, among them pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioural treatments the recovery model diversity and cultural competence the legal and ethical basis of mental health practice, particularly as it applies to the use of coercion and involuntary treatment Community Mental Health in Canada fills a gap in the literature in its analysis of both clinical mental health practice as well as the structural context within which it is situated. An indispensable resource for students, practitioners, and policymakers, it also is essential reading for all those interested in how services are provided to our most vulnerable citizens.

"Brings together leading and emerging researchers to advance understanding of the complex relationships between homelessness and health. Covering a wide range of topics from youth homelessness to end-of-life care, contributors outline policy and practice recommendations to respond to this public health crisis."--Back cover.

Human migration is a global phenomenon and is on the increase. It occurs as a result of 'push' factors (asylum, natural disaster), or as a result of 'pull' factors (seeking economic or educational improvement). Whatever the cause of the relocation, the outcome requires individuals to adjust to their new surroundings and cope with the stresses involved, and as a result, there is considerable potential for disruption to mental health. This volume explores all aspects of migration, on all scales, and its effect on mental health. It covers migration in the widest sense and does not limit itself to refugee studies. It covers issues specific to the elderly and the young, as well as providing practical tips for clinicians on how to improve their own cultural competence in the work setting. The book will be of interest to all mental health professionals and those involved in establishing health and social policy.

When it was first published in 2006, Community Mental Health in Canada was hailed as a much-needed critical overview of the provision of public mental health services in Canada. Comprehensive in scope, its coverage included: the prevalence and impact of mental illness in Canada the complementary and conflicting interests of stakeholder groups, such as mental health professionals, clients, families, governments, and drug companies strengths and limitations of models of care and practice approaches current and developing initiatives in treatment, rehabilitation, housing, and criminal justice programs the clinical benefits and costs of particular interventions the legal and ethical basis of mental health practice. This much-awaited new edition of the book has been substantially revised and expanded to include: a deeper discussion of stigma, the recovery vision, the pharmaceutical industry, the assessment process, and mental health law new topics, such as the two-continua model of mental health/mental illness, rural mental health, and prevention and health promotion recent developments stemming from recommendations of the 2006 Senate report on mental health, including the creation of the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2007 and its influential national mental health strategy released in 2012. This book fills a gap in the literature in its analysis of both clinical mental health practice and the structural context within which it is situated. Accessibly written and highly informative, it is an indispensable resource for students, practitioners, and policymakers, as well as service recipients, their families, and interested members of the public.

Mental health practices and programs around the world face growing criticism from policymakers, consumers, and service providers for being ineffective, overly reliant on treatment by professionals, and overly focused on symptoms. Many have called for new paradigms of mental health and new practices that can better support recovery, community integration, and adaptive functioning for persons diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities. While there has recently been much discourse about transformation and recovery, there has yet to be a critical and systematic review that unpacks the concept of mental health systems transformation or that examines strategies for how to create transformative change in mental health. Community Psychology and Community Mental Health provides empirical justification and a conceptual foundation for transformative change in mental health, based on community psychology values and principles of ecology, collaboration, empowerment, and social justice. Chapters provide strategies for making changes at the level of society, policy, organizations, community settings, and mental health practices. The editors and authors draw from experience in different countries in recognition of the need to tailor change strategies to different contexts. The common experiences of the international perspectives represented underscore the importance and the need for a new paradigm while demonstrating that there are many alternatives and opportunities for pursuing transformative change. This book will be of interest to community mental health professionals, researchers, and students, as well as policymakers, administrators, and those with lived experience of mental health issues.

There are wide inconsistencies between, and even within, countries in how community-orientated care is defined and interpreted. The analysis presented in this book take as a starting point an evidence-based balanced care model in which services are provided in community settings close to the populations served, with hospital stays being reduced as far as possible, usually located in acute wards in general hospitals. The surprising conclusion from the research is that the same problems arise in all countries, regardless of resource status, and thus the recommendations of this book apply to mental health provision everywhere. This book reviews the implementation of community-orientated care using the balanced care model. It summarizes the steps, obstacles and mistakes that have been encountered in the implementation of community mental health care worldwide and presents guidelines on how to avoid them. It proposes realistic and achievable recommendations for the development and implementation of community-orientated mental health care over the next ten years. These guidelines will be of practical use to psychiatrists and other mental health and public health practitioners at all levels worldwide, including policy makers, commissioners, funders, non-governmental organisations, service users and carers. A core message of the book is that the mental health sector will more powerfully advocate for better services in future through strong and unified alliances, especially with powerful representation from consumer/service user and carer groups. Community-orientated care draws on a wide range of practitioners, providers, care and support systems (both professional and non-professional), though particular components may play a larger or lesser role in different settings depending on the local context and the available resources, especially trained staff. Research by a WPA task force has demonstrated that most of the challenges are common and global, but with local variations. The book is therefore relevant to psychiatrists and mental health workers in developed countries who are trying to deliver better health care on reduced budgets and for those in the developing economies who are in the position to modernise their mental health care. It provides clear, concise guidance on policy and practice decisions, learning from what has and has not worked in regions in the world. The book contains many tables documenting the evidence, supported by an essential reference list, and a Key Points summary for each chapter. Highly Commended in the Psychiatry section of the 2012 BMA Book Awards.

The human suffering associated with mental illness is something that more than one in five Canadians face at some point in their life.