A Straight Talking Introduction to the Causes of Mental Health Problems

Dr John Read worked in the UK and USA for 20 years as a Clinical Psychologist and manager of mental health services. He then joined the Psychology Department of the University of Aukland, New Zealand in 1994. He is co-editor (with Loren Mosher and Richard Bentall) of 'Models of Madness': Psychological, social and biological approaches to schizophrenia (Routledge, 2004)and founding editor editor the research journal 'Psychosis: Psychological, Social and Integrative Approaches'. Pete Sanders worked as a nursing assistant in mental hospitals in the 1906s and 70s before and during completing his psychology degree. His life and career as a counsellor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor have been influenced more by those early work experiences than any subsequent qualification. He is a trustee of Soteria Network UK.

Introduction 1. Our beliefs and motives 2. A brief history of causal beliefs 3. The twentieth century and beyond: The illness approach 4. Can we understand causes through diagnosis and labels? 5. Public opinion: Depression is caused by depressing things happening 6. Is the public right? What the research says about the causes of mental health problems 7. Psychological theories: How events operate on us to create problems (A) Psychodynamic (B) Attachment Theory (C) Learning Theory (D) Social Learning Theory (E) Humanistic (F) Cognitive 8. An example: Formulating depression 9. Keep thinking (and feeling) about the causes of mental health problems