Mental Health and Politics : History of Mental Health Services in Northern Ireland

This text traces the development of policies for mentally ill people in Northern Ireland.

It describes a service based on lunacy law inherited from 19th-century Ireland, which remained virtually unchanged until after World War II.

The 1950s and 1960s were revolutionary, heralding the emergence of a modern mental health care system, under the direction of the newly-created Northern Ireland Hospitals Authority.

However, 1972 marked the beginning of a new era in Northern Ireland, one dominated by political violence and Direct Rule from Westminster.

The author's analysis of the impact of these and other political events on mental health policy should be of interest to students, researchers, practitioners and anyone interested in examining the formation of social policy.