Social Nature of Mental Illness

Debate over the true nature of mental illness is polarised between those arguing for a social and those arguing for a physiological aetilogy. Psychiatry finds itself at the centre of this debate, its status called into question by those who claim that to treat mental disorder as a physiological ailment is to mask the social origin of the illness. In The Social Nature of Mental Illness , Len Bowers offers an objective and philosophical critique of the theories of mental illness as a social construct. His purpose is to examine the rationality of these theories, what they might mean, and in which cases they are to be accepted or rejected. Previous work on this issue has concentrated upon empirical evidence. All that has been generated from this are opposing interpretations of the data, rather than solutions. This book examines the common ground between the apologists for and critics of psychiatry, and discusses how debate on this issue affects research into and treatment of mental illness. Len Bowers argues that many of the assertions made about the social nature of mental illness are misguided or wrong, but he concludes that they cannot be wholly rejected. Essential reading for psychiatrists, psychologists, sociologists, psychiatric nurses and social workers, The Social Nature of Mental Illness offers new perspectives on the contentious debate around the true nature of mental illness.Bowers, Len is the author of 'Social Nature of Mental Illness' with ISBN 9780415227773 and ISBN 0415227771.