Insane consequences How the mental health industry fails the mentally ill

Jaffe, executive director of Mental Illness Policy Org., a nonpartisan think tank that focuses on mental health policy, has penned an account detailing the mental health industry's shortcomings in addressing key areas of mental health in the United States. By discussing relationships between mental health organizations, mental health infrastructure and practice, and the need of the mentally ill, Jaffe presents a versatile purview on tensions between mental health needs and the prevalence of successful health services and support. This book also focuses on the ascent and current state of mental health knowledge and systemic practice in late-20th- and early-21st-century America. The author achieves this productively antagonistic examination through the lens of history, health organizational architecture, and the influence of policy on clinical practice. Jaffe's book is a meaningful contribution to mental health literacy, and a solid resource for any individual interested in the policy and practice of mental health services. The book is useful for those teaching or practicing in the area of mental health, as well as individuals in the field of health policy and public health. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above; faculty and professionals. --Luther Hill Taylor, Oregon Health & Science University