Abstract
With the upcoming release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (DSM-V), the Sage Handbook of Mental Health and Illness is both a sociological exploration and a reminder that the nosology used in defining mental illness is highly influenced by context and culture. The mental health needs that patients present with often do not afford practitioners in busy clinics the luxury of looking beyond the schema typically used to organize mental illness. This book provides the opportunity to conduct such an exploration, furnishing the reader with a broad range of topics from race and gender to religion and stigma.
Potentially germane to clinicians are chapters addressing depression and personality disorders. For example, those interested in women’s health issues may find the chapter on gender differences in depression eye-opening, as the contributor adroitly presents findings from the extant research and argues for more inclusive research methods to fully capture women’s experience of depression. Additionally, a chapter on personality disorders provides an interesting sociological historical perspective on their classification, the social conditions in which they were first categorized, and hypothesizes their relation to a “stable, underlying reality.” These discussions could help clinicians find a deeper understanding of patients with refractory depression and could assist in fostering empathy for “difficult” patients suffering from personality disorders. However, there is at least one chapter of the book that journeys into extremes, such as the section on the use of psychotropic medication a form of social control.
The utility of examining the sociocultural context of mental illness could seem beyond the scope of what practitioners face with patients who often seek immediate plans of action. Clinicians looking for a pragmatic clinical handbook may need to look elsewhere. However, those interested in delving into mental health issues are likely to find this text fascinating and thought provoking.