Madness: History, Concepts and Controversies
ISBN: 9781315226941
Platform/Publisher: Taylor & Francis / Routledge
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Unlimited; Download: Unlimited



Madness: History, Concepts and Controversies provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of current perspectives on mental illness and how they have been shaped by historical trends and dominant sociocultural paradigms.

From its representation among world religions and wider folkloric myth, to early attempts to rationalize and treat symptoms of mental disorder, this book outlines the principle contemporary models of understanding mental health and situates them within a wider historical and social context. The authors consider a variety of current controversies within the mental health arena and provide numerous pedagogical features to allow students the opportunity to understand and engage in current issues and debates relating to psychological disorders.

By discussing key issues such as the social construction of mental illness, this text provides an essential overview of how societies and science has understood mental illness, and will appeal to students, researchers and general readers alike.


Dr. Philip John Tyson is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of South Wales. He has an extensive background in mental health research where his main interests lie in psychosis, phobias and links between physical activity and psychological health.

Dr. Shakiela Khanam Davies is a Clinical Psychology Lecturer at the University of South Wales. Her research interests include Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Research Methods, Mental Health and Online Grooming.

Dr. Alison Torn is Senior Teaching Fellow at Leeds Trinity University, teaching Social Psychology and Critical Mental Health.

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