The Mentally Subnormal

Book excerpt: The Mentally Subnormal: Social Work Approaches, Second Edition provides a discussion of the various issues faced by mentally challenged individuals. The book is comprised of eight chapters that talk about the role of social workers in mitigating the problem. The text first details the development of ideas and legislation relating to the mentally subnormal, and then proceeds to presenting a view of the issue in a medical perspective. The next chapter discusses the principles of casework in the field. Chapter 4 talks about the role of community social care, while Chapter 5 deals with social services to the mentally retarded and their families. The sixth chapter covers social work in residential settings. The remaining chapters tackle the employment problem of mentally handicapped and the implications for services of social research in mental retardation. The book will be of great interest to students, researchers, and practitioners of disciplines that deal with the implication of mental incapacity for society, such as psychology, sociology, and psychiatry.