Inpatient mental health care is an essential part of community-based mental health care in the UK. Patients admitted to acute mental health wards are often experiencing high levels of distress and acute mental illness and need to be assessed, managed, and treated by a wide team of mental health care professionals. Inpatient care is often a traumatic experience for patients and their relatives which can define their relationship with mental health care services. Reforming inpatient psychiatry is a priority for both patients and staff, yet there are few reference texts on this psychiatric specialty. The Oxford Textbook of Inpatient Psychiatry bridges this gap by offering a comprehensive and pragmatic guide to the UK's inpatient mental health care system today. Written and edited by a multidisciplinary team, this innovative resource discusses the real-life experiences and challenges of a wide range of professionals working on acute mental health wards. Organized into 8 sections this resource covers nursing, team leadership, multidisciplinary work, psychology, and medical aspects. Individual chapters address key topics such as the management of children and adolescents, and contain information on up-to-date research and best practice. Focusing on the dignity and autonomy of patients, this unique resource offers a model for clinical and organizational practice both at a national and international level.
