This text is a guide to good practice within adult mental health care, providing a comprehensive introduction to mental health and illness. It is designed to aid mental health professionals and workers, agencies, and any individuals coming in to contact with mental illness, in recognising a mental health need or problem and offering appropriate support. This is an essential introduction written by practitioners, and also draws from the personal experiences of service users and carers, providing up-to-date and topical material covering major issues such as: *the concepts of mental health, illness and recovery *advocacy and empowerment *legal and policy issues relating to practice *gender and ethnicity in mental health *violence and abuse. The broad range of this book makes it an excellent resource for mental health practitioners, whether experienced or new to the field, support workers, students, and anyone interested in understanding the complexities of mental illness and the mental health system.