First published in 1999, this volume is a revision of an earlier edition, after which there has been a virtual transformation in the provision of mental health services, examining issues including disturbances in children and adolescents, severe and enduring mental illness, drugs, ethical issues and developing a psychotherapeutic approach to approved social work. Many asylums have been closed, community care has been introduced and law, policy and practice have necessitated institutional change although, at an operational level, resources and perceptions have not always kept pace with change, resulting in increased levels of stress and, sometimes, public tragedy. This revision attempts to reconsider these changes from a social work perspective, along with contributing to the debate on professional and interprofessional practice.