Mental Disability and Rehabilitation Sourcebook, 2nd Edition

Mental disability is an impairment or long-term loss of mental function and is common in the United States. Data from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) report that in 2021, there were an estimated 57.8 million adults living with a mental illness. Mental illnesses include many different conditions that vary in degree of severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. Two broad categories to describe these conditions are any mental illness (AMI), which encompasses all recognized mental illnesses, and serious mental illness (SMI) is a smaller and more severe subset of AMI. This number represented more than one in five U.S. adults with mental disabilities, which includes conditions in varying degrees of severity.

Mental Disability and Rehabilitation Sourcebook, Second Edition provides basic information about mental disability, SMI, co-occurring mental disorders along with social isolation and loneliness, the economic cost of mental distress, and stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. It also describes the connection between poverty and mental health challenges, including the importance of psychotherapy in recovery and rehabilitation, along with the role of family in substance use recovery. It offers helpful information about long-term services, including institutional long-term care, nursing and intermediate care facilities, and technology-assisted tools in recovery support. A directory of organizations that provide support for people with mental disabilities is also provided.

Part 1: Psychiatric and Intellectual Disability describes dimensions of disability and functional limitation and disability, along with disability associated with psychiatric disorders, and serious mental illness (SMI) and disability. It also discusses co-occurring mental disorders, mental disability associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, and mental distress and mortality.

Part 2: Societal Dynamics and Mental Health Challenges explains social isolation and loneliness, including educational challenges, transitions to adulthood, and barriers to employment. This part describes stigma, prejudice, and discrimination and concludes by highlighting the economic cost of mental distress and the connection between poverty and mental health challenges.

Part 3: Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Caregiving for People with Mental Illness discusses recovering from a mental illness and moving toward a recovery-oriented model of care. It explores the importance of psychotherapy in recovery and rehabilitation, family-based interventions in recovery, and the role of the family in substance use recovery. This part further describes the value of peer support, the role of spirituality in mental health recovery, and supported employment for SMI. It concludes by highlighting technology-assisted tools in recovery support and advance health care directive for mental disability.

Part 4: Additional Resources includes a directory of organizations that provide support for people with mental disabilities.