Community mental health has evolved as a field of practice and as a research discipline during the last 50 years. Now newer concepts, such as shared decision-making, the recovery approach, evidence-based practice, implementation science, telemedicine, and mobile device technology, are adding layers of texture to this domain. These developments require an ever more sophisticated understanding of the very latest evidence and experience in community mental health care to respond to the values, goals, needs and preferences of people with lived experience of mental health conditions.

This second edition of the Oxford Textbook of Community Mental Health addresses recent changes and achievements, current controversies, and future challenges while emphasizing areas of convergence, where social values, health, medical sciences, and policy formation converge and meet. This edition also features a new section on global mental health, to emphasise what is known about the mental health gap in low- and middle-income countries, and the evidence of how to respond to these huge global challenges.

Like community mental health care itself, the authors are multidisciplinary, international, and bring both clinical and scientific perspectives to this volume. This textbook will be an invaluable and authoritative source of reference for all mental health specialists; for people with mental health conditions, for staff in non-governmental and governmental organisations, and indeed for all who are dedicated to creating better mental health services and systems.