Depression, in varying degrees, affects the majority of people at some point in their lives. The sufferer feels exhausted, isolated, profoundly sad and very unwell. Sleep is both a stranger and an enemy when accompanied by nightmares; food has no taste; tears exhaust, and the body and mind withdraw from life. The worse thing is the sense of being out of control of the day-to-day elements of living. Other people make the decisions. Philip Barker has stood beside many people in this dark place and realized that part of the resolution of profound sorrow lies with the sufferers regaining, and...

Why write another book on ethics? As practitioners we are involved both in the design and delivery of services to people with mental health problems. In common with all other professionals, our work has led to the experience of ethical dilemmas: typically, these have involved major confrontations, either with our col leagues or our consciences. This book, however, is not limited to a discussion of such major themes. Rather, we have tried to use a broader canvas: ethics, in our view, is really about the judgement of right and wrong in ordinary, everyday life. Ethics are highly personal: we...