Nothing in the field of mental health can be explored in a social vacuum. Race, culture, and ethnicity all have a bearing on mental health care and yet to date the training of mental health professionals has lacked an overall approach to the various aspects of working in a multi-ethnic society. In this book the editor and contributors offer an up-to-date account of the changing face of mental health care in Britain, exploring the ways in which practitioners from different professions need to work in the area of 'community care'. They examine the realities of life in a multi-ethnic society, the limitations of traditional psychiatric practice, the rising influence of the users of the services and the legal framework determined by society at large.

The first part of the book deals with the context in which British mental health services operate today and the second part addresses racial and cultural issues that arise in delivering services in a multi-ethnic society from a practical viewpoint. In the third part, the various issues are brought together in order to indicate a way forward, making suggestions for change from where we are now.