Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community

This new edition provides readers with a fresh, updated guide to the latest developments in the social context, management, and treatment of offenders in mental health care.

This revised and updated edition of Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community provides a comprehensive, evidence-based guide to theory and practice. The social and clinical context within which mental health care is provided to offenders in community settings has changed significantly in recent years. An increasing proportion of all mental health care is provided in the community and our knowledge of the links between violence and mental illness has advanced. Existing psychological and pharmacological treatments have been refined and new treatments have been introduced. Epidemiological and intervention-based research has evaluated these changes and suggested new avenues for clinical development. Over three sections, the second edition of Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community explores the key areas of the field. Part 1 describes the social, administrative and clinical context within which care is now given. Part 2 discusses treatment and the ev aluation of violence risk when determining the most appropriate treatment. Part 3 explores psychiatric services and their relationship with other agencies. The text has been updated to cover recent developments intheory and practice. New chapters have been added that cover US provision for people with mental disorders leaving prison, the community management of sexual offenders, the relationship between care and coercion and the treatment of personality disorders. Written by a global team of experts, the book provides critical insights into the social, clinical, and institutional aspects of an increasingly important part of psychiatric community care.

Rezension:

Review from previous edition This volume, encyclopedic in scope, consists of 324 pages of valuable information backed up by 1000 references. It also serves as a useful template for any group seeking to start a forensic treatment program. The information is clearly stated, explaining how practice is actually conducted every day by the average practitioner. The book is both a how-to and hands-on guide, yet erudite and scholarly . . . I highly recommend this text - in my opinion, without major flaws - as it provides an in-depth discussion of the major issues that clinicians encounter, both in individual practices and as team members in a community setting. It is likely to be difficult reading for those new to forensics, but with time and effort, much can be learned. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 65:6