This edition provides a clear overview of the major aspects of the sociology of mental health and illness. As well as drawing on a range of social theories and methods to illustrate its points, it provides the reader with information organized along dimensions of class, gender, race and age. The mental health professions are critically analyzed and long standing debates about the role of legalism are explored. Organizational aspects of psychiatry are examined as well as the growing relevance of community health care work. The book ends with a discussion of the various ways in which psychiatric patients and their relatives can be understood in their social context.