"Hester Parr's book delivers a welcome and unusually close-up engagement with the practiced geographies of mental health. In particular it seeks to extend our grasp of how individuals with mental health problems feel; how they relate to community, citizenship and how they contribute to the constitution of their social spaces". (Area Book Reviews, 2010)"Hester Parr's book delivers a welcome and ... Read moreunusually close-up engagement with the practiced geographies of mental health." (Area, December 2010)   "This inspiring book offers a highly original account of the social spaces created and inhabited by people with mental health problems. Hester Parr paints a vivid picture, which foregrounds hopeful possibilities for empowerment and integration. It will be invaluable to anyone seeking to understand mental (ill) health in the twenty-first century." Liz Bondi, University of Edinburgh "Parr’s efforts to advance a 'cautious optimism”'about the lived social geographies of people with mental health problems, based on rich empirical material and thoughtful conceptual articulation, make this an essential read for anyone interested in the changing social geographies of mental health. The book also has considerable relevance for broader debates about social inclusion and active citizenship in contemporary Western societies." Robert Wilton, McMaster University “Parr has … redefine[ed] ‘the mental patient’, a crucial undertaking if social citizenship for people with mental illness is to become an enduring reality.” Metapsychology “This book could appeal to psychologists who enjoy relevant work in other disciplines, who find ideas of people like Freud and Foucault interesting, and who value small case studies.” PsycCritiques Show Less