A practical guide to the parts of the Mental Health Act 1983 that clinicians need in their daily practice and relevant parts of other related legislation. Covers the 2007 amendments to the Act plus changes resulting from the new Social Care Act 2012. It gives advice on detaining & treating patients and giving evidence to mental health tribunals.

Suitable for primary care practitioners, managers and commissioners, this title covers such common mental health disorders as depression, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Psychiatrists tend to focus on mental health of their patients, sometimes at the expense of their physical health. This gives practical information on the physical health topics that are most relevant to people with mental disorders and helps psychiatrists to increase their confidence in managing these and knowing when to refer to a specialist.

Little attention is given to understanding a concept central to the NHS: its embodiment of kinship, and its expression in the compassionate relationship between clinician and patient. This argues for the delivery of care and treatment as expressions of compassion and challenges managers to improve services with that at the centre of their thinking.