1st Edition

The Modern Psychiatrist’s Guide to Contemporary Practice Discussion, Dissent, and Debate in Mental Health Care

By Brendan Kelly Copyright 2025
    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    280 Pages
    by Routledge

    The Modern Psychiatrist’s Guide to Contemporary Practice provides an overview of psychiatry, starting with the most fundamental question of all: why does psychiatry exist?

    Key topics are covered, such as: diagnosing mental illness, controversial treatments, involuntary admission, human rights, suicide, and global inequality. The book incorporates history, medicine, neuroscience, service development, legislation, and service-user movements. It summarises key findings and discussions, provides opinions based on evidence, presents clear conclusions, and describes useful, radical directions for the future of this most contested of medical disciplines. Each chapter includes useful chapter summaries and case studies are provided throughout.

    This book is essential for mental health workers and trainees, academics, and those interested in what psychiatry is, why it exists, and its future potential.

    The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY)] 4.0 license.

    1.       Why Does Psychiatry Exist?

    2.       The History of Psychiatry

    3.       Diagnosing Mental Illness

    4.       Treating Symptoms and Disorders

    5.       Treatment Without Consent

    6.       Neuroscience and Psychiatry

    7.       Psychiatry, Culture, and Society

    8.       Self-Harm and Suicide

    9.       Global Injustice in Mental Health Care 

    10.     The Future of Psychiatry: Person-Centred Care and System-Level Change

    Biography

    Brendan Kelly is Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, Consultant Psychiatrist at Tallaght University Hospital, and Visiting Full Professor at University College Dublin. In addition to his medical degree (MB BCh BAO), he holds masters degrees in epidemiology (MSc), healthcare management (MA), Buddhist studies (MA), and mindfulness-based interventions (MSc); doctorates in medicine (MD), history (PhD), governance (DGov) and law (PhD); and a higher doctorate in history (DLitt). He has authored and co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications and 600 non-peer-reviewed publications.