Introduction: Community Psychiatry on the Move

Abstract

The Textbook’s Introduction notes that it is a greatly expanded Second Edition of 2012’s Handbook of Community Psychiatry. The book is a function, as well, of the American Association for Community Psychiatry and is meant to be a comprehensive update of public and community psychiatry, serving also as a vehicle for education of trainees and those preparing for Certification in Public and Community Psychiatry. This introductory chapter describes professional and social changes over the past decade, including technological advances, psychiatric manpower, a broadening role for community psychiatric practice, and a wider appreciation of social determinants of mental health, including those of race. These developments are juxtaposed with events of a decade of increasing social and political turmoil in the United States, armed conflict, a crisis in social migration, a ravaging pandemic, and the specter of climate change. The chapter subsequently outlines the Textbook’s structure and briefly summarizes the respective domains of each of its nine sections.