Madness Reimagined - Steverson, Leonard A.

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Résumé :
Madness Reimagined: Envisioning a Better System of Mental Health in America provides a comprehensive analysis of the current mental health system in the United States. Presented from a sociological rather than a psychological perspective, this book seeks to provide readers with an extensive but accessible look at its history, the current mental health treatment modalities, the various mental health practitioners, the different conditions known as mental health disorders, as well as strategies for improving the system. Trained both in clinical and applied therapy and sociology, the author aims to provide a balance to the work that other books on mental health often lack. As a result, this book proposes a dual approach to the study of mental health. Dr. Steverson acknowledges that while disorders and treatment modalities require a micro-level (intrapsychic) approach, the overall analysis of the mental health system demands a macro-level (sociological) approach. Due to the recent changes in the American healthcare system and the concerns this has raised, this book is a necessary and important contribution to its field. It also reflects a growing desire from the public to better understand this subject as mental health issues continue to gain visibility in the public eye. Free of psychological jargon and in an accessible format, this book will not only appeal to academics and students, but also to mental health consumers, their families, and people who are interested in advocacy.

Biographie:
Leonard A. Steverson is an adjunct professor of sociology at Flagler College and associate professor emeritus of sociology at South Georgia State College in Douglas, Georgia. Prior to entering academia, he was a licensed family therapist and addiction counselor. He holds a BS and an MS in Sociology as well as a PhD in Human Services. He is the author of Policing in America: A Reference Handbook (ABC-CLIO, 2008) and Madness Reimagined: Envisioning a Better System of Mental Health in America (Vernon Press, 2018), and co-author of Giants of Sociology (Pearson, 2006) and Debating Social Problems (Routledge, 2018). Professor Steverson has also worked as a director of a mental health and substance abuse program for children and adolescents, as a correctional counselor, and as a probation officer. These experiences, along with a recent investigation into the current mental health system as an addictions counselor, left him with some concerns about the system in which he was once employed. This was the catalyst for the precursor for this work-Madness Reimagined. Addiction Reimagined, an extension of that work, specifically focuses on addiction and is intended to engage people in making sure the field of addiction is effective and efficient.