The Female Body in Mind

The Female Body in Mind introduces new ways of thinking about issues of women's mental health assessment and treatment. Its multidisciplinary approach incorporates social, psychological, biological and philosophical perspectives on the female body. The contributions, from notable academics in the field of women's mental health, examine the relationship between women's bodies, society and culture, demonstrating how the body has become a platform for women's expression of their distress and anguish. The book is divided into six sections, all centred on the theme of the body, covering: - The body at risk. - The hurting body. - The reproductive body. - The interactive body. - Body-sensitive therapies. - The body on my mind. All professionals involved in women's mental health will welcome this exploration of the complexities involved in the relationship between women bodies and their mental health.

Mervat Nasser is Consultant Psychiatrist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King's College University (Guys Campus), London. Karen Baistow is Director of the Mental Health Studies Programme at King's College (Guys Campus), London. Janet Treasure is Professor and Head of the Academic Department of Psychiatry, King's College (Guys Campus), London, and Head of the Eating Disorders Research Unit at the Institute of Psychiatry, London.

Preface. The Body in Question. Part I: The Body at Risk. Malson, Nasser, At Risk by Reason of Gender. Skårderud, Nasser, (Re)Figuring Identities: My Body is What I Am. Part II: The Hurting Body. Bunclark, Deliberate Self Harm. Busuttil, Psychological Trauma and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Treasure, The Trauma of Self Starvation: Eating Disorders and Body Image. Moorey, Breast Cancer and Body Image. Part III: The Reproductive Body. Kohen, Women's Bodies: Natural History and Biological Programming. Baistow, "On Being a Mother": Motherhood and Mental Health. Patrick, O'Keane, Sad Motherhood: An Overview of Perinatal Affective Disorders. Davenport, Flynn, Shaw, Women Who Kill Their Babies. Part IV: The Interactive Body. Harris, Society and Women's Distress. Lee, When the Personal Gets in the Way of the (Inter)Personal. Murray, Care and Blame: The Dialectic of Caring. Nasser, Bhugra, Chow, Concepts of Body and Self in Minority Groups. Part V: Body-sensitive Therapies. Katzman, Nasser, Noordenbos, Feminist Therapies. Schmidt, Sánchez-Ortiz, Self-help and Healing Narratives. Palmer, Whight, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy: A Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder. Ohlsen, Pilowsky, Gender and Psychopharmacology. Part VI: The Body on My Mind. Davies, Waterhouse, Do Women Need Specific Services? Ramsay, Dogra, Gender-sensitive Education and Gender Competence Training. The Perspective of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and Beyond.