Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community (Oxford Medical Publications). Este artículo no está disponible.Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community (Oxford Medical Publications)

This book discusses the theory and practice of the treatment in the community of people who suffer from mental disorders and who break the law. It addresses the tension created by the need to serve the diverse goals of improving health and protecting the public.

The book is divided into three sections. The first describes the social, administrative and legal context in which care is provided. This care is influenced by the degree to which mentally disordered offenders are perceived as dangerous. The second section describes clinical aspects. Offending by patients affects the models of care offered by community mental health teams and correctly assessing the risk of violence on the community has come to be seen as a key task of these services. The third and final section discusses the interactions between different aspects of the psychiatric services and between the psychiatric services and other related agencies.

Care of the Mentally Disordered Offender in the Community provides an international review of the field, for a multidisciplinary audience, balancing theoretical with practical considerations. It should be read by all those involved in providing care and support to mentally disordered offenders.

This volume, encyclopedic in scope, consists of 324 pages of valuable information backed up by 1000 references. It also serves as a useful template for any group seeking to start a forensic treatment program. The information is clearly stated, explaining how practice is actually conducted every day by the average practitioner. The book is both a how-to and hands-on guide, yet erudite and scholarly . . . I highly recommend this text - in my opinion, without major flaws - as it provides an in-depth discussion of the major issues that clinicians encounter, both in individual practices and as team members in a community setting. It is likely to be difficult reading for those new to forensics, but with time and effort, much can be learned. (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 65:6)

Clinically [the book] is well informed and evidence based, but its excellence is to place that material in a wider ethical and moral context. This is a book that . . . should be a core text for forensic practitioners, as well as providing important reading for those with an interest in forensic psychiatry or who are responsible for planning forensic services. (Psychological Medicine, 33)

Alec Buchanan has assembled a high-class list of contributors for this book . . . I do recommed that all of those involved in the care of mentally disordered offenders consider this book. (British Journal of Psychiatry)

Buchanan's book is a multidiscplinary text on the care and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in the community. I found it refreshing and a pleasure to read. It has no inhibitions and does not dwell on role conflicts in working with mentally disordered offenders . . . He and his contributors beautifully differentiate between the subtleties of the theoretical and practical components of addressing mental health problems and criminogenic need within a risk assessment framework incorporating the wider social context. This book, therefore, offers a cogent framework for practice. I strongly recommend it to all forensic community nurses and those working in low-secure settings as it offers a wealth of guidance. It sets the standard in the care and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in community settings in the UK and has the makings of a classic text. (Nursing Times)