Written for the non-professional in the field of mental health, this unique manual explains—in jargon-free language—the basic categories and causes of mental illness, and the types of services that the volunteer or lay mental health worker can perform in the community. The volume fills a distinct need for concise and authoritative materials to match the growing community interest in adequate and informed mental health care.

Armando R. Favazza is professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Missouri. 

Barbara Starks Favazza was the first Black woman to attend and graduate from the UVA School of Medicine. 

Philip M. Margolis was Associate Chief of Clinical Affairs at the University of Michigan Health System, and Director of the Forensic Psychiatric Program at the University of Michigan.