Summary

This book introduces key issues in understanding social and cultural factors as they relate to mental health and illness, and to a southern African understanding and construction of these categories. It lays out central international and local debates in the field of mental health in an accessible way, making use of extensive research and case studies. Central theoretical debates (such as those between relativism and universalism, and between hermeneutical and critical approaches) are presented early in the text, and referred to throughout the more applied chapters. The aim is to equip the reader to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to understanding specific aspects of mental health and illness. Stressed throughout is the role of the mental health professional in the construction of ideas of mental health and illness.