The Sociology of Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Reader

by Jane D. McLeod, Eric R. Wright

Overview

The Sociology of Mental Illness is a comprehensive collection of readings designed to help students develop a nuanced and sophisticated appreciation of the most important, heated—and fascinating—controversies in the field.

Drawing primarily from sociological sources, the text features both classical and contemporary selections that cover the full range of sociological topics, perspectives, and debates, including the social construction of mental illness, the social origins of mental illness, and contemporary mental health treatment. This rich, varied assortment gives students a "roadmap" to the evolution and development of sociological research over time and insight into key controversies in the field.

Selections include such classical readings as Scheff's original statement of labeling theory, contemporary reports on the prevalence of mental illness in countries around the world, and recent analyses of the changing treatment system. The readings are organized progressively in order to help students recognize the dynamic character of mental health research and the important role that controversies play in advancements in the field; this organization also gives students the tools they need to formulate their own views and opinions on crucial matters.

A versatile, engaging text, The Sociology of Mental Illness is ideal for undergraduate and graduate courses in the sociology of mental illness.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195381719
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/08/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	880
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 4.90(d)

About the Author

Jane D. McLeod is Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculties Department of Sociology at Indiana University-Bloomington.

Eric R. Wright is Professor and Director of the Center for Health Policy, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Table of Contents

, Acknowledgments, Contributors, IntroductionI. DEFINITIONS OF MENTAL ILLNESSWhat Is Mental Illness? Psychiatric PerspectivesMedical Model of Madness: The Emergence of Mental Illness, Peter Conrad and Joseph W. SchneiderMental Illness as Psychiatric Disorder, Martha Livingston BruceWhat Is Mental Illness? Sociological PerspectivesThe Discovery of Hyperkinesis, Peter ConradThe Three Faces of PMS: The Professional, Gendered, and Scientific Structuring of a Psychiatric Disorder, Anne E. FigertCulture and the Definition of Mental IllnessWhat Is a Psychiatric Diagnosis?, Arthur KleinmanDid Antidepressants Depress Japan?, Kathryn SchultzII. PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF MENTAL ILLNESSThe Measurement of Mental Health and Mental IllnessIssues in Mental Health Assessment, Galen E. Switzer, Mary Amanda Dew, and Evelyn J. BrometThe Categorical Versus Dimensional Controversy in the Sociology of Mental Illness, Ronald C. KesslerMeasurement for a Human Science, John Mirowsky and Catherine E. RossCurrent Prevalence Estimates in the United StatesPrevalence and Treatment of Mental Disorders, 1990-2003, Ronald C. Kessler, Olga Demler, Richard G. Frank, Mark Olfson, Harold Alan Pincus, Ellen E. Walters, Phillip Wang, Kenneth B. Wells, and Alan M. ZaslavskyThe Epidemic in Mental Illness: Clinical Fact or Survey Artifact?, Allan V.Horwitz and Jerome C. WakefieldCurrent Cross-National Prevalence EstimatesLifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distributions of Mental Disorders in the World Health Organizations' World Mental Health Survey Initiative, Ronald C. Kessler et al. for the WHO World Mental Health Survey ConsortiumIII. THE SOCIAL ORIGINS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ILLNESSBasic ConceptsResearch in Mental Health: Social Etiology versus Social Consequences, Carol S. AneshenselThe Sociological Study of Stress, Leonard I. PearlinMultiple Identities and Psychological Well-Being: A Reformulation and Test of the Social Isolation Hypothesis, Peggy A. ThoitsThe Epidemiology of Social Stress, R. Jay Turner, Blair Wheaton, and Donald A. LloydRoles, Social Statuses, and Mental HealthSex Differences in Distress: Real or Artifact?, John Mirowsky and Catherine E. RossRevisiting the Relationships among Gender, Marital Status, and Mental Health, Robin W. SimonClarifying the Relationship between Parenthood and Depression, Ranae J. Evenson and Robin W. SimonLow Socioeconomic Status and Mental Disorders: A Longitudinal Study of Selection and Causation during Young Adulthood, Richard A. Miech, Avshalom Caspi, Terrie E. Moffitt, Bradley R. Entner Wright, and Phil A. SilvaRecession and Well-Being, Mark Tausig and Rudy FenwickRacial Differences in Physical and Mental Health: Socioeconomic Status, Stress, and Discrimination, David R. Williams, Yan Yu, James S. Jackson, and Norman B. AndersonChildhood Parental Loss and Adult Depression, Jane D. McLeodStatus, Role, and Resource Explanations for Age Patterns in Psychological Distress, Scott Schieman, Karen van Gundy, and John TaylorThe Struggle to Gauge a War's Psychological Cost, Benedict CareyIV. STIGMA AND THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF THE EXPERIENCE OF MENTAL ILLNESSLabelingThe Role of the Mentally Ill and the Dynamics of Mental Disorder: A Research Framework, Thomas ScheffSocietal Reaction as an Explanation of Mental Illness: An Evaluation, Walter R. GoveA Modified Labeling Theory Approach to Mental Disorders: An Empirical Assessment, Bruce G. Link, Francis T. Cullen, Elmer Struening, Patrick E. Shrout, and Bruce P. DohrenwendStigmaAmericans' Views of Mental Illness and Health at Century's End: Continuity and Change, Bernice A. Pescosolido, Jack K. Martin, Bruce G. Link, Saeko Kikuzawa, Giovanni Burgos, Ralph Swindle, and Jo PhelanHelp-Seeking and UtilizationThe Moral Career of the Mental Patient, Erving GoffmanThe Social Dynamics of Responding to Mental Health Problems, Bernice A. Pescosolido, Carol A. Boyer, and Keri M. LubellIllness and Identity, David KarpV. THE HISTORY AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AND TREATMENTSociohistorical Perspectives on Mental Health Treatment and PolicyThe New World of the Asylum, David J. RothmanCycles of Reform in the Care of the Chronically Mentally Ill, Joseph P. Morrissey and Howard H. GoldmanPsychiatric Hospital Capacity, Homelessness, and Crime Arrest Rates, Fred E. MarkowitzSociological Perspectives on Contemporary Mental Health Care and TreatmentPsychiatric Emergency Room Decision Making, Social Control and the 'Undeserving Sick,' Alisa LincolnLabeling Mental Illness: The Effects of Received Services and Perceived Stigma on Life Satisfaction, Sarah RosenfieldCommunities of Care: A Theoretical Perspective on Case Management Models in Mental Health, Bernice A. Pescosolido, Eric R. Wright, and William Patrick SullivanReluctant Managers and Ideologies of Care, Teresa L. SheidVI. MENTAL ILLNESS, THE FAMILY, AND SOCIETYMental Illness and the FamilyCaregiver Stress and Dimensions of Family Burden, Harriet LefleyNavigating the Storm of Mental Illness: Phases in the Family's Journey, Susan A. MuhlbauerMental Illness and Social ProblemsPolice as Streetcorner Psychiatrist: Managing the Mentally Ill, Linda A. Teplin and Nancy S. PruettMental Disorder and Violence: An Examination of Stressful Life Events and Social Support, Eric Silver and Brent TeasdaleAssessing the Economic Costs of Serious Mental Illness, Thomas R. InselThere's No Place Like (a) Home: Ontological Security Among Persons with Serious Mental Illness in the United States, Deborah K. PadgettThe Consumer and Family MovementsFrom Ex-patient Alternatives to Consumer Options: Consequences of Consumerism for Psychiatric Consumers and the Ex-patient Movement, Athena Helen McLeanThe Future of the Mental Health Care SystemFixing the System, E. Fuller TorreyExcerpts from the executive summary of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's final report

Editorial Reviews

"I wholeheartedly agree with the authors that a new book for courses in the sociology of mental health and illness is needed. The books on today's market are overly psychological, too brief, or too narrow to provide a full discourse of the sociological research and theory on this subject. I like McLeod and Wright's de-emphasis on disorder classification, reversing a major sociological failure of several competing books. I also like their emphasis on social construction approaches. This book can serve either as a stand-alone text or a companion book for courses in the sociology of mental health and illness. I would be highly likely to adopt this book as a primary text in an undergraduate course."—Allen Furr, University of Louisville

From the Publisher