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Introduction to the Special Issue on Mental Health Self‐Help
Author(s) -
Brown Louis D.,
Shepherd Matthew D.,
Wituk Scott A.,
Meissen Greg
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-008-9187-7
Subject(s) - mental health , health psychology , psychological intervention , public relations , psychology , mental illness , face (sociological concept) , mental health law , public health , nursing , political science , medicine , psychiatry , sociology , social science
Since the 1950s, people with mental illness and their families have been organizing a wide range of self‐directed, mutual support oriented initiatives, including self‐help groups, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. These initiatives have become increasingly widespread over the years and today mental health self‐help initiatives outnumber traditional mental health organizations in the United States (Goldstrom et al., Admin Policy Mental Health Mental Health Serv Res 33:92–103, 2006). Mental health self‐help embodies much of what community psychologists promote, including the self‐directed organization of people to create social change and facilitate personal transformation. This special issue provides new insight into several prominent areas of inquiry surrounding these low‐cost interventions including: (1) their evidence base; (2) the processes by which people benefit; (3) how they interface with the mental health system; and (4) the value dilemmas they face.