Communication and mental health disorders : developing theory, growing practice

Part 1: Communication and mental health across the lifespan.
Communication and infant mental health/Sarah McGlinn; Children’s communication and their mental health/Judy Clegg; Language and communication in adults with mental health disorders: considerations for understanding speech and language therapy process and practice/Irene Walsh et al; Language and communication in psychiatry of old age: the perspective of a UK psychiatrist/Ramin Nilforooshan.

Part 2: Communication and mental health: developing theory.
Pragmatic language and social conversational skills intervention for children with mental health disorders/Sinead Kellaghan; Developing theoretically grounded approaches to pragmatic intervention with people with schizophrenia/Caroline Jagoe; Medical humanities and constructions of “self”: invoking literary autobiography to educate healthcare students in communication and mental health disorder/Irene Walsh; Reflecting on hope: communication and mental health/Caroline Jagoe et al.

Part 3: Communication and mental health: growing practice.
The role of speech and language therapy in guiding service user involvement for mental health service users with communication support needs/Jennifer Brophy & Stephanie O’Connor; Language and communication needs of young offenders/Karen Bryan and Pamela Snow; Communication and forensic psychiatry/Jane O’Connor; Applications of cognitive behavioural therapy to speech and language therapy practice in adult mental health/Jennifer Brophy.

The way forward/Caroline Jagoe and Irene Walsh

Communication and Mental Health Disorders: Developing Theory, Growing Practice brings together academics and expert clinicians to share their research, clinical expertise and insights in the presentation of current theory and evolving practice of language and communication work with children and adults with mental health disorders. The book presents recent developments in the field against a background of 'recovery model' principles and practices, moving beyond introductory texts published previously.

This book is a highly comprehensive text drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives in the care of people with communication difficulties and mental health disorders. It covers a broad range of areas, providing an extensive exploration of the unique and complex relationship between mental health and disorder, and language and communication, with specific emphasis on the application of theoretical developments to clinical practice. The focus is on recent and cutting-edge developments in the field, whilst acknowledging historical constructs and contexts. Service users' perceptions are incorporated throughout alongside those of mental healthcare professionals (e.g., psychiatrists and speech and language therapists). A full section on advances in approaches to communication intervention presents the strides taken in the practical applications of innovative thinking in the area.

About The Editors
Caroline Jagoe's research interests lie in the area of acquired communication disorders, as well as in the area of communication disturbances in adults with mental health disorders.

Irene Walsh research interests primarily lie within the domain of language and communication disorders associated with mental health in child and adulthood.