Women S Voices In Psychiatry

In early 2015, the Royal College of Psychiatrists had 4,640 female Members and Fellows and 6,015 male Members and Fellows, a ratio of 43.5% to 56.5%. Despite the high and increasing proportion of women in UK psychiatry over the years (relative to other medical specialties), publications about the history and practice of psychiatry have traditionally been written by men and about men, and there has been a distinct lack of commentary from the woman's perspective. Women's Voices in Psychiatry: A Collection of Essays examines the role of women in psychiatry and shares some of their key contributions to the specialty. Presented as a collection of thoughts, opinions, and experiences of women doctors specializing in modern day psychiatry, this book is intended to be accessible to all readers interested in the mind, mental health services, and women's roles in medicine. Interspersed between these essays are short biographical profiles of pioneering women who have contributed to psychiatry and mental health services. Women's Voices in Psychiatry: A Collection of Essays covers a diverse range of topics and aims to draw lessons from history, particularly about women's roles in UK psychiatry, and to make things better for psychiatrists of the future.

Geller and Harris's accompanying history of both societal and psychiatric standards for women reveals that often even the prevailing conventions reinforced the perception that these women were "mad."

Contemporary Topics in Women’s Mental Health: Global Perspectives in a Changing Society considers both the mental health and psychiatric disorders of women in relation to global social change. The book addresses the current themes in psychiatric disorders among women: reproduction and mental health, service delivery and ethics, impact of violence, disasters and migration, women’s mental health promotion and social policy, and concludes each section with a commentary discussing important themes emerging from each chapter. Psychiatrists, sociologists and students of women’s studies will all benefit from this textbook. With a Foreword by Sir Michael Marmot, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London; Chair, Commission on Social Determinants of Health

'The treatment of insanity is rather moral than medical-rather hygienic than therapeutic: the moral control and discipline of a well ordered asylum-its amusements of various kinds-and especially its light and voluntary labour, -with their judicious adaptation to various cases and temperaments-these are some of the means of cure, of relief, or of solace, upon which we depend...' So the medical officers at the Norfolk County Lunatic Asylum reported in 1856. The asylum had left behind the inhumane methods of the eighteenth century where physical containment and restraint had been in regular use. 'Amusements' in the summer included outings to Lowestoft and Yarmouth, country walks, picnics and river trips and, in winter, there was a fortnightly ball with a brass band. The use of 'voluntary labour', such as sewing and laundry work, was intended to distract and 'normalise' their condition. While many causes of mental disorder in the Victorian period were common to both genders: religious mania, intemperance, family troubles, work troubles, frequently exacerbated by the very real problem of poverty, psychiatrists believed that women were more vulnerable to insanity because the instability of the reproductive systems interfered with their sexual, emotional and rational control. In this book, the author uses a series of case studies from the Norfolk County Asylum to explore women of different social status, all diagnosed with gender-specific causes of insanity. Their treatment resulted in a variety of outcomes that both reflect the success and constraint of the medical knowledge at that time.

Does traditional psychotherapy speak to women's experiences? What techniques are available for survivors of incest, women with bulimia, or victims of family violence? Healing Voices presents a framework for innovative new therapy developed out of the collective efforts of women and their therapists to express their unique identity. Going beyond theory, this book offers a helpful array of healing techniques, including role playing, storytelling, Jungian dreamwork, Native American healing, and guided imagery. Each chapter ends with the client's own description of feminist therapy that empowers the woman in her own healing. "A remarkable, useful resource that should be of interest to both sexes".--Booklist.

Find your own voice! Highly engaging, well-researched, and balanced, this second edition takes a close look at current issues, theory, and research in the psychology of women. You will hear many voices in this text--from women of various racial and cultural backgrounds and social classes, from different sexual orientations, and voices that are young and old and also middle aged. You'll also explore multiple perspectives on issues, so you can draw your own conclusions about the information you're reading, and ultimately find your own voice.