This second edition of the Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health
features theory-driven reviews of recent research with a comprehensive
approach to the investigation of the ways in which society shapes the
mental health of its members and the lives of those who have been
diagnosed as having a mental illness
The award-winning Handbook is distinctive in its focus on how the
organization and functioning of society influences the occurrence of
mental disorder and its consequences. A core issue that runs throughout
the text concerns the differential distribution of mental illness across
various social strata, defined by status characteristics such as gender,
race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age. The contributions to this
volume shed light on the social, cultural, and economic factors that
explain why some social groups have an elevated risk of disorder. They
also address the social repercussions of mental disorder for
individuals, including stigmatization within the larger society, and for
their families and social networks.
The second edition of this seminal volume includes substantial updates
to previous chapters, as well as seven new chapters on: -The
Individual's Experience of Mental Illness.--The Medicalization of Mental
Illness.---Age, Aging, and Mental Health.- -Religion and Mental Health.-
-Neighborhoods and Mental Health.- -Mental Health and the Law--and
Public Beliefs about Mental Illness.