Headcase is a groundbreaking collection of personal reflections and artistic representations illustrating the intersection of mental wellness,mental illness,and LGBTQ identity,as well as the lasting impact of historical views equating queer and trans identity with mental illness. The featured pieces offer personal views from both providers and clients,often one and the same,about their experiences. In the anthology,readers will access the innerthoughts of contributors who collectively document the difficulty of navigating flawed healthcare systems that limit affordable access to genuinely affirming,effective services. Traversing boundaries of race and ethnic identity,age,gender identity,and socioeconomic status,Headcase appeals to LGBTQ communitiesand,specifically,LGBTQ mental health consumers and their friends,families,and comrades.
MEDIA REVIEWS
Publisher: Oxford University Press IncISBN: 9780190846596Weight: 594 gDimensions: 242 x 164 x 23 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
this is an extraordinary and ground-breaking anthology...Headcase is not a collection of dense academics,nor is it dripping with jargon. It is a showcase of talented,gripping work - an energizing read full of pain and wit and joy."Headcase is an awareness raising collection of mental health struggles that continue to affect people that do not identify with the hegemonic White hetero-normative cisgendered population. In sum,Headcase will be of interest to instructors,supervisors,students,and trainees in mental health who want to read more about the lives of LGBTQ individuals who are experiencing mental health problems in a homophobic society.""Headcase" doesn't tell the story of LGBTQ people with mental health conditions; it allows those people to tell their stories and detail their experiences. The book explores the various obstacles mental illness presents - especially for those most at the margins,like queer and trans people of color."Stephanie Schroder and Teresa Theophano present an authentic and inspiring collection of personal stories that are at the core of what mental health and wellness is comprised of on many levels within the LGBTQ community. ...It is the first of its kind to have the intersection between multiple identities and present mental health conflicts for both providers and clients.... I encourage mental health professionals to use this book as an additional lens through whichto learn more about the connection of mental health/wellness and the LGBTQ community. I strongly believe this literature can help influence further visibility within the LGBTQ community and begin to bridge existing gaps within mental health care."The editors have accomplished their goal of creating a volume that articulates the experience of mental health,mental illness,and health care services by a broad cross-section of the LGBTQ community. While individual pieces vary in literary or artistic quality,the book as a whole is engaging,educational and,in a very real sense,heroic.Headcase is important reading for any LGBTQ persons with mental health and wellness concerns,and is equally important for the therapists who treat such populations. It will challenge - and disturb - many complacencies and assumptions,and that is clearly where its value lies.This important new work gives voice to those LGBTQ folk who experience poor mental health and those working to support us. It's not always a comfortable read,but these voices speak with authenticity and creativity and demonstrate that we exist beyond pathology and diagnosis. We are frequently passionate and resilient,and find ways to survive in hostile environments. I'd highly recommend it for therapists wishing to understand us better."Headcase is a fantastic collection of brave and poignant personal stories about the intersection between mental health treatment and LGBTQ identity. The writers'stories reveal the often sad and frustrating (even dangerous) reality of coping with mental illness in a nation where competent,inclusive psychiatric care is frequently prohibitively expensive or flat out unavailable.They also show the resilience,creativity,and intelligence of this eclectic group ofcontributors who utilize all their personal and community resources to achieve and maintain wellness and positive self-identity.The work breaks down stigma associated with mental illness where it's commonly assumed that if people with mental illness are struggling,then they must not be smart enough,hard-working enough,or otherwise doing everything they can to help themselves."This book will fill an important gap in the LGBTQ literature and in the literature of mental illness,showing how liberation and destigmatization intersect,and giving strength to those who work at the locus of these two fields of study." -Andrew Solomon,PhD,arts,mental health,and LGBT activist; author of The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression; Professor of Clinical Psychology,Columbia University Medical Center; President of PEN American CenterFew books can make the claim of being unique,but this is one of them ...the editors intend to start a conversation among LGBTQ people and the therapy community about topics that are usually hidden or ignored. In this goal,they succeed admirably...This terrific and essential work will benefit all readers.
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