ABSTRACT
The language of disorder and therapy Fifty years ago, the concept of ‘mental health’ was in its infancy, and the field of psychiatry was based, almost exclusively within ‘mental hospitals’. Today, the concept of ‘mental health’ is used in an increasingly liberal fashion, especially in providing an umbrella concept for various health and social care services, and a variety of charitable and voluntary sector projects. Additionally, many sections of the general public read about and discuss ‘mental health’ in a manner that once would have been viewed as morbid or unseemly. At least at the level of talk, much has changed in 50 years.
