The Role of Organized Psychology in Treatment of the Seriously Mentally Ill

Almost a million Americans who were or would have been hospitalized for serious mental illnesses during the past forty years can now be found living "in the community." Many of these persons are homeless or in jail or prison, but many others have experienced varying degrees of recovery. During this time organized psychology has been slow to meet the various needs of this vulnerable population. The contributors to this volume of New Directions for Mental Health Services are among the psychologists who have been the most determined to bring the benefits of psychological science to persons with serious mental illnesses during this time. They have been working as academicians, researchers, and government employees. Some have seriously mentally ill family members or have themselves been diagnosed with mental illnesses as serious as schizophrenia. Here, they give their perspectives on how psychologists can better work to improve the lives of those in this vulnerable population.