ABSTRACT
Any discussion of policy in the arena of mental health requires some explanation of terms. Even this chapter heading speaks to the misnomer that conflates the two distinct concepts of mental illness and mental health. Mercifully, the central Scottish policy document of the moment, Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland, begins by attempting to separate them out (Scottish Government 2007), while tentatively recognising that the debate around them is complex and unresolved. For this reason, we suggest that the reader approaches the concepts of mental health and mental illness as fluid ideas, rather than tangible entities.
