Outreach in Community Mental Health Care

Book excerpt: Outreach in the community is the treatment of choice for the severely mentally ill in the community. It involves taking services directly to patients rather than requiring them to attend clinics and hospitals. This approach is a significant addition to routine mental health care practice and addresses the needs of marginalized communities and those that struggle to attend appointments. Outreach in Community Mental Health Care: A Manual for Practitioners has been fully updated since the last edition, providing readers with an in-depth, practical guide to mental health care in the community setting today. It addresses the significant changes in mental health service organizations over the years, including the various new teams devised and the importance of central planning and targets. The authors Tom Burns and Mike Firn are pioneers in this field of research and are active in community outreach as practitioners, researchers, and supervisors. In 29 chapters they cover key discussions in conceptual issues, health and social care practice, management and development, which provides readers with an insight into the reality of community outreach work.