Handbook on Mental Health Policy in the United States

Covers the historical, policy and administrative aspects of public mental health care. . . . An important addition to academic libraries serving graduate or upper-division undergraduate programs in public administration, health services, community psychology, or public health. Choice

As the social and economic costs associated with mental disorders continue to rise, policymakers and mental health administrators are faced with dwindling budgets and the need for expanded and improved services. This ambitious new work offers a thorough examination of these difficult policy issues, together with studies of the population groups affected and the programs and facilities designed to serve them. Written by twenty-nine specialists in the field, it provides analyses of recent empirical findings and a thoughtful review of the challenges that lie ahead.

The first two chapters examine central policy concerns and the elements that make up the mental health service system. Epidemiological analyses focus on problem populations such as the chronically mentally ill, the elderly, children, minorities, and substance abusers. Mental health policy development is next explored. Specific topics covered include the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, the creation of community mental health programs, the impact of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Block Grant, and the political process of mental health policymaking. The next several chapters look at the record of the community mental health movement, including community residential care, the problem of homelessness, and public mental hospital's changing role. Financial, legal, administrative, and planning issues are also considered. The volume concludes with a discussion of possible future trends in mental health policymaking and administration. An authoritative resource for mental health and human service professionals as well as students and academics in these fields, this book is appropriate for academic, professional, public agency, and large public libraries.