Community Mental Health in Canada: Theory, Policy and Practice

Diana Coholic is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at
Laurentian University.

This book, which emerged from the author’s work in teaching an
introductory course on mental health practice, describes “where we are
and where we may be heading” in the field of Canadian mental health.
Davis focuses on publicly funded programs mandated to meet the needs of
adults suffering from disabling and chronic mental disorders (such as
schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), and he addresses both
systemic/macro and clinical/micro aspects of the mental health system.
Topics covered in the book include the nature versus nurture debate as
it relates to the creation of mental illness; assessment,
rehabilitation, and recovery; the challenges of cost containment and
accommodating family members and other stakeholders in the mental health
system; the classification of mental disorders; and the rhetoric versus
the reality of implementing “best practices.” A glossary of terms is
included in the book, which is recommended as a good basic text for
introductory mental health courses.