Mental Illness and the Body

<p>Using real life case studies of people experiencing mental illness this book identifies how bodily presentation of patients may reflect certain aspects of their ‘lived experience’.</p><p>With reference to a range of theoretical perspectives including philosophy psychoanalysis feminism and sociology <em>Mental Illness and the Body</em> explores the ways in which understanding ‘lived experience’ may usefully be applied to mental health practice. Key features include:</p><ul> <li>an overview of the history of British psychiatry including treatments </li> <li>an analysis of feminism and the way its insights have been applied to understanding women's mental health and illness </li> <li>in-depth interviews with four patients diagnosed with mental illness </li> <li>an outline of Freudian and post-Freudian perspectives on the body and their relevance to current mental health practice. </li> </ul><p><em>Mental Illness and the Body</em> is essential reading for mental health practitioners allied professionals and anyone with an interest in the body and mental illness. </p>