Explaining Mental Illness: Sociological Perspectives

The book is co-authored by Baptiste Brossard from the Department with Amy Chandler from the University of Edinburgh. It aims to take stock of the contemporary sociology of mental health while providing critical leads for its development in the near future.

Following a presentation of the book by the authors, there was a discussion with Ellen Annandale (Sociology), Peter Morrall (Health Sciences) and Jerome Wright (also Health Sciences) which covered a number of topics including: the challenges of establishing alternative approaches to mental health, the relationship between the social sciences and psychiatry, the consideration of sociocultural factors in mental health research and policy, and the practical implications of sociological perspectives on mental health issues for clinicians.