Mental health problems, and the way we understand them, are a perennial source of fascination, but there is a surprising gap in the literature when it comes to mental health service clients' own understandings of mental ill health. At a time when service users' perspectives are increasingly recognised 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.

This exciting collection of essays explores the complex area of madness and performance. The book spans from the 18th century to the present and unearths the overlooked history of theatre and performance in, and about, psychiatric asylums and hospitals. The book will appeal to historians, social scientists, theatre scholars, and artists alike.