David Pilgrim – författare

How do we understand mental health problems in their social context?

A former BMA Medical Book of the Year award winner, this book provides a sociological analysis of major areas of mental health and illness. The book considers contemporary and historical aspects of sociology, social psychiatry, policy and therapeutic law to help students develop an in-depth and critical approach to this complex subject. New developments for the sixth edition include:

•Brand new chapter on aging and older people

•Updated material on social class, ethnicity, user involvement, young people and adolescence

•New coverage on prisons legalism and the rise of digital mental health management and delivery

A classic in its field, this well-established textbook offers a rich, contemporary and well-crafted overview of mental health and illness unrivalled by competitors and is essential reading for students and professionals studying a range of medical sociology and health-related courses. It is also highly suitable for trainee mental health workers in the fields of social work, nursing, clinical psychology and psychiatry.

This classic text book has for many years provided the definitive sociological lens with which to understand the range of conceptual approaches to understanding mental ‘illness’ in the historical journey from madness to emotional health and the complex interdisciplinary challenges of providing appropriate care or treatment to human distress and suffering. This updated edition continues to provide illuminating insights and clarifications not only for students but for academic researchers and scholars at all levels.

Gillian Bendelow, Professor in Sociology of Health and Medicine, School of Applied Social Science, University of Brighton

A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness is a sociological classic – for three decades now it has been essential reading for all sociologists (and other social scientists) wishing to learn more about mental (ill-)health and society, be they students or professional teachers and researchers. It has also long been a beacon, and will continue to guide, mental health practitioners keen to better understand and engage with the social dimensions of their work. A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness is an incomparable resource.  

Professor Martyn Pickersgill, University of Edinburgh, UK

The relationship between sociology and mental health has been well documented over the years. Social factors such as poverty, social stress, socioeconomic disadvantages, inequality, social exclusion have been implicated for increased rates of mental health problems. Unfortunately, psychiatry has not engaged sufficiently with sociology. “A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness” has covered this disparity. The sixth edition is a most welcome addition updating social trends and new sociological material relevant to mental health, more emphasis on service users’ participation and the emerged evidence base. It is a classic that should be an essential reading for all mental health professionals.

Nick Bouras, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience 

Anne Rogers is Professor of Medical Sociology & Health Systems Implementation at the University of Southampton.

David Pilgrim is Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Southampton.

How do we understand mental health problems in their social context?

A former BMA Medical Book of the Year award winner, this book provides a sociological analysis of major areas of mental health and illness. The book considers contemporary and historical aspects of sociology, social psychiatry, policy and therapeutic law to help students develop an in-depth and critical approach to this complex subject. New developments for the sixth edition include:

•Brand new chapter on aging and older people

•Updated material on social class, ethnicity, user involvement, young people and adolescence

•New coverage on prisons legalism and the rise of digital mental health management and delivery

A classic in its field, this well-established textbook offers a rich, contemporary and well-crafted overview of mental health and illness unrivalled by competitors and is essential reading for students and professionals studying a range of medical sociology and health-related courses. It is also highly suitable for trainee mental health workers in the fields of social work, nursing, clinical psychology and psychiatry.

This classic text book has for many years provided the definitive sociological lens with which to understand the range of conceptual approaches to understanding mental ‘illness’ in the historical journey from madness to emotional health and the complex interdisciplinary challenges of providing appropriate care or treatment to human distress and suffering. This updated edition continues to provide illuminating insights and clarifications not only for students but for academic researchers and scholars at all levels.

Gillian Bendelow, Professor in Sociology of Health and Medicine, School of Applied Social Science, University of Brighton

A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness is a sociological classic – for three decades now it has been essential reading for all sociologists (and other social scientists) wishing to learn more about mental (ill-)health and society, be they students or professional teachers and researchers. It has also long been a beacon, and will continue to guide, mental health practitioners keen to better understand and engage with the social dimensions of their work. A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness is an incomparable resource.  

Professor Martyn Pickersgill, University of Edinburgh, UK

The relationship between sociology and mental health has been well documented over the years. Social factors such as poverty, social stress, socioeconomic disadvantages, inequality, social exclusion have been implicated for increased rates of mental health problems. Unfortunately, psychiatry has not engaged sufficiently with sociology. “A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness” has covered this disparity. The sixth edition is a most welcome addition updating social trends and new sociological material relevant to mental health, more emphasis on service users’ participation and the emerged evidence base. It is a classic that should be an essential reading for all mental health professionals.

Nick Bouras, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience 

Anne Rogers is Professor of Medical Sociology & Health Systems Implementation at the University of Southampton.

David Pilgrim is Visiting Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Southampton.

Setting out the theoretical and practical dimensions of clinical psychology, the authors examine its origins, knowledge base and applications with different client groups, in different contexts and through different modalities (individuals, groups, couples, families and organizations). They also highlight issues affecting everyday practice - from professional relationships to government policy.

Drawing on the first-hand experiences of people who have recently qualified, the book describes the process of training and the transition that takes place from trainee to practitioner. Throughout, the book captures a sense of clinical psychology as a dynamic and changing field which has grown up fast alongside other more established professions involved in mental health care and which is continuing to evolve in response to contemporary needs.

As an overview of the field, A Short Introduction to Clinical Psychology is an ideal text for undergraduate and post-graduate students in psychology and as initial reading for clinical psychology courses.

This pioneering book demonstrates that counselling and psychotherapy cannot be separated from the social conditions and context in which practitioners and their clients operate. Until now, no single text has brought together and considered the two areas of psychotherapy and social science in conjunction.

The book opens with a discussion of the points of convergence and divergence between psychotherapy and social science. David Pilgrim then concentrates on the relationship between mental health and gender, class, race, age and professionalism, asking and examining a number of questions about each and summarizing the relevant social research. Further chapters explore the role of therapy in relation to the personal, organizational and political context of its practice. The book concludes by providing a critical analysis of the professionalization of `talking treatments' and the experience of service users.

This is the first dedicated text to explain and explore the utility of critical realism for psychologists, offering it as a helpful middle ground between positivism and postmodernism.

By introducing its basic concepts, Pilgrim explains critical realism to psychologists and shows how the interface between the natural and social worlds, and the internal and external, can be used to examine human life. This both/and aspect of human life is important in another sense: we are both determined and determining beings, making choices but within the material constraints of both our bodies and the social context of our unique existence. The book offers an exploration of academic and applied psychology with that inward and outward curiosity in mind, beginning with the premise that both inner and outer reality are the legitimate interest of psychologists. In doing so, it shows how critical realism endorses the remaining advantages of positivism and postmodernism, while discarding their philosophical errors.

A range of case studies are presented to show how psychologists can use critical realism when working with real life problems, as researchers or practitioners.

This is the first dedicated text to explain and explore the utility of critical realism for psychologists, offering it as a helpful middle ground between positivism and postmodernism.

By introducing its basic concepts, Pilgrim explains critical realism to psychologists and shows how the interface between the natural and social worlds, and the internal and external, can be used to examine human life. This both/and aspect of human life is important in another sense: we are both determined and determining beings, making choices but within the material constraints of both our bodies and the social context of our unique existence. The book offers an exploration of academic and applied psychology with that inward and outward curiosity in mind, beginning with the premise that both inner and outer reality are the legitimate interest of psychologists. In doing so, it shows how critical realism endorses the remaining advantages of positivism and postmodernism, while discarding their philosophical errors.

A range of case studies are presented to show how psychologists can use critical realism when working with real life problems, as researchers or practitioners.