Shunned

Graham Thornicroft is Professor of Community Psychiatry, and Head of the multi-disciplinary Health Service Research Department at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. He is a Consultant Psychiatrist and is Director of Research and Development at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. He chaired the External Reference Group for the National Service Framework for Mental Health in England. His areas of research expertise include: stigma and discrimination, mental health needs assessment, the development of outcome scales, cost-effectiveness evaluation of mental health treatments, and service user and consumer participation in mental health research. He is the author of 19 books and over 160 scientific papers.

• Foreword by Judi Chamberlin ; 1. Close to home: family, housing and neighbours ; 2. Getting personal: friendships, intimate relationships and childcare ; 3. It's not working: discrimination and employment ; 4. By a process of exclusion: discrimination in civil and social life ; 5. Harmful helpers: discrimination in health and social care ; 6. Profiting from prejudice: mental illness in the media ; 7. Danger or disinformation: the facts about violence and mental illness ; 8. 'Why try?' Self-stigmatisation, avoidance and withdrawal ; 9. From stigma to ignorance, prejudice and discrimination ; 10. What works to reduce discrimination? Challenges for service users ; 11. What works to reduce discrimination? Challenges for everyone

For those interested in mental health policy on a global perspective, this book is essential. For all of us with the nagging sense that life for our patients is even harder than it needs to be, this book provides ample evidence that our suspicions are both shared and justified. In the end, Shunned is a politcally thoughtful and measured call to arms. The time is now.