The Politics of Mental Health Legislation

List of Statutes; List of Cases; Psychiatry, Law and Politics; Mental Disorder and Legal Status; Foundations of the Modern Mental Health System; The Lunacy Act 1890: Lunacy, Liberty and the Rule of Law; The Mental Treatment Act 1930: Psychiatric and Political Context; Law in Transition; Medical, Legal, and Political Alignements; The Mental Health Act 1959: Mental Disorder in the Era of the Welfare State; The Evolution of a New Legal Framework; The Mental Health Act 1983: The New Legalism; Bibliography; Index "...ambitious, multilayered study...He illuminates our understanding of law, showing us how it looks to unbelievers...as well as to the faithful... Times Literary Supplement Readership: Lawyers working in welfare organizations; health administrators; academic lawyers.