At a time when service users' perspectives are increasingly recognized in healthcare, this
seminal book highlights the importance of clients' perceptions of all aspects of mental
illness. It examines the implications of these understandings, especially in relation to clients'
relationships with services.

I endorse this statement emphatically and urge you to read this book if you doubt it. The
structure of the book is much more that of a research dissertation than a narrative, and I
would have welcomed a much greater proportion spent on users' own words and reflections.
However, Foster does us a service by flattening the professional hierarchy and allowing us
the always enlightening, and sometimes chastening, experience of hearing what our clients
think of us and our treatments.