ABSTRACT
In the domain of mental health work, more than elsewhere, it is important to take nothing for granted. Unfortunately, far too much of the central and local planning of mental health services has contained unchecked assumptions. In this short chapter I will unpack some of these and offer some clarifications. The success of this analysis entails the reader (as well as the writer) assuming two points. The first is that conceptual analysis is as important as empirical evidence. The second is that mental health work is constituted by forms of action which require moral and political evaluation, as well as empirical verification. I approach this task assuming that facts are important but that these must be critically evaluated – their source and their utility (i.e. for whom and for what purpose?) need to be analysed. Despite the cliché, facts do not speak for themselves but are generated and legitimised by social forces. I hope to demonstrate these general abstract points by looking at practical details under the headings below.
