Rochefort provides a comprehensive review of mental health policy issues in American society, beginning with early practices that predate the formal mental health system and ending with the current national health care debate. At the same time, he provides a perspective on mental health policy anaylsis that draws on diverse work in the policy sciences, looks to both applied and theoretical concerns, and gives full recognition to the distinctive nature of mental health care problems. This volume will be of considerable use to policy makers in the mental health field as well as students of American public policy and public administration in general.

Rochefort provides a comprehensive review of mental health policy issues in American society, beginning with early practices that predate the formal mental health system and ending with the current national health care debate. At the same time he provides a perspective on mental health policy anaylsis that draws on diverse work in the policy sciences, looks to both applied and theoretical concerns, and gives full recognition to the distinctive nature of mental health care problems.

This volume will be of considerable use to policy makers in the mental health field as well as students of American public policy and public administration in general.