Using real life case studies of people experiencing mental illness, this book identifies how bodily presentation of patients may reflect certain aspects of their 'lived experience'. With reference to a range of theoretical perspectives including philosophy, psychoanalysis, feminism and sociology, Mental Illness and the Body explores the ways in which understanding 'lived experience' may usefully be applied to mental health practice. Key features include: an overview of the history of British psychiatry including treatments an analysis of feminism and the way its insights have been applied to understanding women's mental health and illness in-depth interviews with four patients diagnosed with mental illness an outline of Freudian and post-Freudian perspectives on the body and their relevance to current mental health practice. Mental Illness and the Body is essential reading for mental health practitioners, allied professionals and anyone with an interest in the body and mental illness.