Community and mental health

Contemporary mental health policy and practice has been based on two basic principles – the need for an evidence-based approach to practice and a recognition of the importance of understanding the lived experience of mental illness. Beyond the symptoms of the various disorders is the range of personal and social consequences of illness. These include disruptions to a sense of self, relationships, economic security, work, and housing. The social context and social consequences of mental disorder are central to social work practice in the mental health area. This chapter has explored a number of theoretical perspectives including the concept of lived experience, recovery theory, stigma, shame, and empowerment. A practice focusing on these social dimensions of mental illness demands an engagement both with the broader evidence base shared by all disciplines, and a specific concern for individuals and their families, and the experience of mental illness and its consequences in their lives