Peter Kinderman is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist with Mersey Care NHS Trust and Clinical Advisor for Public Health England, UK. He was 2016-2017 President of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and twice chair of the BPS Division of Clinical Psychology. His research activity and clinical work concentrate on serious and enduring mental health problems, as well as on how psychological science can assist public policy in health and social care. His previous books include A Prescription for Psychiatry: Why We Need a Whole New Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing (2014).

Outlines a principled and evidenced proposal for change; a call for new thinking on mental health care and wellbeing

Provides an international perspective on key issues in the field of mental health

Supports a sharp reduction in reliance on medication to address emotional distress, and greater legal protection for our autonomy

Argues that identifying mental health issues as merely the symptom of diagnosable 'illnesses' lacks reliability, validity and utility

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Events and Consequences.- Chapter 3: We are not the Slaves of our Brains.- Chapter 4: Making Sense of Things.- Chapter 5: Labels are for Products, Not People.- Chapter 6: Appreciating the Functions of Diagnoses.- Chapter 7: A Phenomenological Approach.- Chapter 8: Formulation and the Scientific Method.- Chapter 9: The Drugs Don't Work - The Difference between Curing and Helping.- Chapter 10 Residential Care; Hotels Not Hospitals.- Chapter 11: The Mental Health Act.- Chapter 12: Working Practices.- Chapter 13: The Social and Political Prerequisites for Genuine Psychological Health and Well-Being.- Chapter 14: A Manifesto.