People with mental health conditions are among the most socially excluded groups in society. Mental health conditions are influenced by the social environment, which in turn shapes our social and cultural responses to the people who experience them. Much of what mental health practitioners do is 'essentially social' and the effects of their interventions are hampered by the marginalised status of many of the people that they see. This book documents the ways in which people with mental health conditions are excluded from participating in society and offers some pointers as to how this may be reversed. It highlights the need to reduce mental health inequalities and to consider the importance of material inequalities and social injustices faced by people experiencing mental ill-health. Whilst the challenges are considerable and the solutions wide-ranging, mental health practitioners can play a significant role in facilitating the social inclusion of those with mental health conditions.

‘I am delighted to welcome this new edition as essential reading for everyone working / involved in health and social care, not just mental health services. It expands our understanding of the means of social exclusion, its poisonous legacy on children and adults, and how we might change the single, main driver of mental health conditions - Poverty. The book goes beyond theoretical frameworks and the language of exclusion (inequalities and disparities belong to different political tribes) - it brings exclusion into the world of service users and health professionals. We learn that exclusion is not merely economic, but race and disability (to name just two) compound multiple disadvantages. I wish I had read a social science primer like this book at the start of my career, and can only hope it will be taken up by the next generations.’

Peter Byrne - Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Royal London Hospital; Co-director of RCPsych Public Mental Health Implementation Centre

‘Without action, the poor may well ‘always be with us’. But as this book makes so clear, poverty (whether defined in terms of lacking material resources, access to occupational and leisure opportunities, civil participation or even supportive social networks) is partly a consequence of exclusion arising from political, economic and social structures but all too often through deliberate actions of individual self-interest, prejudice and discrimination. This book provides a comprehensive and persuasive account of the forces at play and more importantly what we, collectively, professionally and individually can do to tackle the social and economic barriers that people with mental health conditions face in daily life. An outstanding book that should be read by all mental health professionals as a fundamental text for their profession.’

Tom K J. Craig - Professor Emeritus of Social Psychiatry, King’s College London

‘The second edition of this impressive volume is timely, as in the UK and Europe we confront poverty, a conflict in Europe, and a major energy crisis … We can anticipate greater levels of poor health and health crises … Poverty and social adversity lead to premature mortality and poorer life chances and quality of life, including the development of mental illnesses. Furthermore those with mental illness encounter prejudice, stigma and discrimination, all of which mean people with mental illnesses face precarity and structural violence that deprives them of equal rights to benefit from societal opportunities and care systems … This book is a clarion call to all … We must do better to … promote inclusive public care systems in which those with mental illness realise their rights as citizens. Inclusive policy and practice are at the heart of actions that might transform dystopian complacency in mental health care and public mental health.’

Kamaldeep Bhui - Professor of Psychiatry, University of Oxford