ABSTRACT
More than two decades have passed since Wolpert (1976) first drew our attention to the exclusion of those individuals who experience mental and physical disablement from mainstream society. More recently, human geographers have been called upon to examine the assumptions about inclusion and exclusion implicit within our social and spatial environment, and seek to identify forms of exclusion as articulated by marginal groups. Specifically, this chapter focuses on those aspects of the social and spatial environment that contribute to the inclusionary and exclusionary experiences of individuals with mental ill-health (MIH). The purpose of the chapter is threefold. First, it moves on from the early concerns of geographers with issues of deinstitutionalisation 1 to explore factors contributing to the geographies of a group of (normally) community-based individuals with MIH. Second, it discusses the ways in which inclusion and exclusionary practices are experienced by such individuals within the social and spatial environment which they are located. In doing so, it focuses on the issue of rurality and mental health, and third, it considers the response to MIH within the context of the Scottish rural environment. The aim is to highlight some of the key determinants contributing to the locational patterns of those with mental ill-health. Through the experiences of such individuals, we are also able to reflect on the ways in which the actions of these marginalised individuals can themselves contribute to the emergent geographies of MIH.
