For many years the prior editions, written by David Mechanic alone, have been the standard text for students of mental health policy. This edition promises to continue to be the standard text because it provides so much information and insight so clearly and briefly.

When a leading mental health advocate says, "The infrastructure for the public mental-health system is in the worst shape it's been in 40 years," I wonder what he's thinking. Maybe it's just rhetorical flourish, but it is false and counterproductive.

Is there anything that can be done by the field of mental health to reduce the rare incidence of murders by people with serious mental illness?

While 21st century approaches to public health have increasingly focused on healthy living with diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and access to preventive health care, there is a growing evidence base to incorporate mental health into our nation's public health agenda.

I am a psychiatrist who has treated patients for over 35 years, but I still cannot bear to read or hear a story of a fatal outcome for a person with a serious mental illness who dies from neglect or some form of self-harm.

The updated Mental Health Parity Act implicitly recognizes that addiction is a mental health issue and that its consequences can be as debilitating as that of any chronic, severe physical illness.