Recipient of Choice Magazine''s 1994 Outstanding Academic Book Award "Prior constructs an analysis which adheres closely to his purpose but which is also remarkably wide-ranging. . . . In each case Prior supports his overarching argument with a meticulous examination of the relevant literature. What might otherwise have been a rather dry text is given context and brought to life through reference to interview and conversational data from the research in which the book originated. . . . That it is possible to follow Prior''s argument through his wide-ranging exposition is due partly to his fluent, uncluttered prose, and partly to his structuring the book so tightly around chapters devoted to a single facet of the organisation of psychiatry. . . . I have little doubt that his book will prove valuable to academics in a variety of fields. . . . It provides an interesting and highly-topical illustration of the insights to be gained from the study of social organisation; secondly, it makes an illuminating contribution to the sociology of mental illness itself; and thirdly, the comprehensive literature review which underpins each chapter makes it a useful reference source. . . . The book provides a resource for academics involved in the education and training of any of the professional groups who work with people suffering from mental disorders."