Various criticisms can be made of MHCIiA’s coverage. Given MHCIiA’s “Introduction,” which emphasizes the transition from residential to community-based care, I was surprised not to find more information about the system (or un-system?) itself. An entry on “Community Mental Health” briefly describes certain care models (assertive community treatment, case management, and family psychoeducation), but there seem to be no entries that describe the vast nonprofit sector which offers information and support to patients and caregivers. Likewise, the entries on “Insurance and Parity Laws;” “Poverty, Unemployment, Economic Inequality, and Mental Health;” “Preventative Mental Health Programs;” and “Workplace Issues and Mental Health” do not describe employee assistance programs and other in-house efforts to support workers’ mental health. Also, of 115 entries, approximately one-third address specific disorders, from Alzheimer’s disease, to Posttraumatic Stress Disorders, to Suicide. Typically, such entries provide information about prevalence, risk factors, causes, diagnostic criteria, the courses of the disorders, and interventions/treatments. Such basic information is already available through the American Psychological Association’s Help Center (a site for consumers, see www.apa.org/helpcenter/index.aspx), through MedlinePlus (for a list of mental health information available through this site, see www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mentalhealthandbehavior.html), and through other reputable, specialized organizations such as the American Sleep Association (www.aasmnet.org) or CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD, www.chadd.org). Thus a substantial portion of MHCIiA does not provide unique information.

There are several other reference sources besides MHCIiA, including the Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Health, 3rd ed. (Gale, 2012). For those interested in the medical model of treatment, the Gale Encyclopedia provides many more entries on assessments (such as the Children’s Depression Inventory); drug treatments (such as amphetamines, used for ADHD, depression, and obesity); and natural therapies (like ginkgo biloba, used for some patients with dementia). In addition, Sage offers entire encyclopedias on some of the topics which MHCIiA treats in single entries, including Sage’s Encyclopedia of Family Health (2011), Encyclopedia of Homelessness (2004), Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence (2008), and Encyclopedia of Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery (2009).

In summary, MHCIiA may be appropriate for high school or public libraries with small collections which desire to offer a basic print source on mental health care. For libraries which already have substantial holdings in clinical psychology and social work, this is an optional purchase.