This text outlines the limited knowledge base about dementia and covers the effects which that has on the design of services for people with dementia. The authors have researched designs and methods for assessing the impact of services upon service receivers, including family carers.

Lost in the raging debate over the validity of social construction is the question of what, precisely, is being constructed. Facts, gender, quarks, reality? Is it a person? An object? An idea? A theory? Each entails a different notion of social construction, Ian Hacking reminds us. His book explores an array of examples to reveal the deep issues underlying contentious accounts of reality. Especially troublesome in this dispute is the status of the natural sciences, and this is where Hacking finds some of his most telling cases, from the conflict between biological and social approaches to mental illness to vying accounts of current research in sedimentary geology. He looks at the issue of child abuse—very much a reality, though the idea of child abuse is a social product. He also cautiously examines the ways in which advanced research on new weapons influences not the content but the form of science. In conclusion, Hacking comments on the “culture wars” in anthropology, in particular a spat between leading ethnographers over Hawaii and Captain Cook. Written with generosity and gentle wit by one of our most distinguished philosophers of science, this wise book brings a much needed measure of clarity to current arguments about the nature of knowledge.

A critical and empirical study that explores the constitution of managerial identities in the age of mass education in management and challenges the way we think about organizations and their management.

Challenges conventional perceptions about Alzheimer's disease to offer readers alternative approaches to memory loss and aging that can be aided through simple nutritional and exercise strategies.

A groundbreaking exploration of the sociology of dementia — with contributions from distinguished international scholars and practitioners. Organised around the four themes of personhood, care, social representations and social differentiation Provides a critical look at dementia and demonstrates how sociology and other disciplines can help us understand its social context as well as the challenges it poses Contributing authors explore the social terrain, responding in part, to Paul Higgs’ and Chris Gilleard’s highly influential work on ageing Breaks new ground in giving specific attention to the social and cultural dimensions of responses to dementia

Dementia has been widely debated from the perspectives of biomedicine and social psychology. This book broadens the debate to consider the experiences of men and women with dementia from a sociopolitical perspective. It brings to the fore the concept of social citizenship, exploring what it means within the context of dementia and using it to re-examine the issue of rights, status(es), and participation. Most importantly, the book offers fresh and practical insights into how a citizenship framework can be applied in practice. It will be of interest to health and social care professionals, policy makers, academics and researchers and people with dementia and family carers may find it revitalising.

This book is a guide for psychiatrists struggling to incorporate transformational strategies into their clinical work. The book begins with an overview of the concept of critical psychiatry before focusing its analytic lens on the DSM diagnostic system, the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, the crucial distinction between drug-centered and disease-centered approaches to pharmacotherapy, the concept of “de-prescribing,” coercion in psychiatric practice, and a range of other issues that constitute the targets of contemporary critiques of psychiatric theory and practice. Written by experts in each topic, this is the first book to explicate what has come to be called critical psychiatry from an unbiased and clinically relevant perspective. Critical Psychiatry is an excellent, practical resource for clinicians seeking a solid foundation in the contemporary controversies within the field. General and forensic psychiatrists; family physicians, internists, and pediatricians who treat psychiatric patients; and mental health clinicians outside of medicine will all benefit from its conceptual insights and concrete advice.

Objectives: To review the historical representations of dementia.Background: Dementia is a neurodegenerative syndrome affecting over 47 million individuals worldwide and damaging the individualsu2019 cognition and functioning. It has an impact on the life of all the people involved in the process of care at the physical, psychosocial and economic levels. The way individuals perceive dementia has been influenced by socio-cultural contexts throughout history and holds different meanings across cultures.Methods: A literature review was conducted by searching in PubMed database the terms: u201cdementia AND (history OR society)u201d. Articles were selected with regard to their scientific relevance. Results: Early remarks on dementia trace back to classical times, when the condition was associated with aging rather than illness. This association led to the social construction of the condition as a natural life manifestation and to stigmatising societal views around the process of aging. During the Middle Age, dementia was a consequence of original sin, which led to its association with divine punishment. Such construction inevitably leads to stigmatising views with consequences of social withdrawal and exclusion for the person living in the community and the family. In the 20th century, dementia was classified as organic brain syndrome. The emphasis on the scientific diagnosis resulted in the objectification of patients, who were reduced to their symptoms or diagnosis, regardless of other human characteristics. Conclusions: Past characterisations of dementia have influenced modern views of the condition. The negative views (association with aging, divine punishment, insanity) can generate stigma and have negative consequences for individuals with dementia and their family, but also for agents involved in the care of dementia. A better understanding of the social construction of dementia can improve public health approaches to rehabilitation and care.

This study juxtaposes philosophical analysis and clinical experience to present an overview of the issues surrounding dementia. It conveys a strong ethical message, arguing in favour of treating people with dementia with all the dignity they deserve as human beings.

A historical exploration of scientific disputes on the causation of so-called ‘prion diseases’, this fascinating book covers diseases including Scrapie, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Firstly tracing the twentieth-century history of disease research and biomedicine, the text then focuses on the relations between scientific practice and wider social transformations, before finally building upon the sociologically informed methodological framework. Incisive and thought-provoking, The Social Construction of Disease provides a valuable contribution to that well-established tradition of social history of science, which refers primarily to the theoretical works of the sociology of scientific knowledge.