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Book Review: Evidence-based practice in clinical social work

such behavior is representative of a minority of the population, but in many fewer pages. For this reason, Torrey and his Treatment Advocacy Center have been condemned as fear mongering, especially angering mental health consumers (Dundas, 2013). The use of scare tactics to promote compulsory treatment further stigmatizes a vulnerable population and promulgates stereotypes. These methods are entirely inconsistent with social work values and represent a point of contention that the profession must continuously dispute. Torrey also spends a considerable amount of the book discussing the negative impact deinstitutionalization has had in terms of homelessness and incarceration of mentally ill individuals. In Chapter 6, The Perfect Storm, Torrey discusses the phenomenon of transinstitutionalization, which he blames on state agencies using Medicaid maximization strategies. He also presents case studies of cities with particularly large homeless camps, especially San Francisco and New York, the abodes of many individuals with schizophrenia and other untreated mental illnesses. In Chapter 7, Dimensions of the Current Disaster, there are a number of studies cited that support Torrey’s claims that police officers have become the new mental health providers, and jails and prisons the new asylums. In his final chapter, Solutions, Torrey lists recommendations for policy changes. Social workers may find it encouraging that Torrey supports the use of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams. He reports a strong belief in the continuity of care provided by ACT teams and also promotes the clubhouse and peer support models. He advocates for tight oversight of nursing and boarding care facilities, including unannounced inspections by impartial agencies. Conflicting beliefs may lead individuals to agree or disagree with his support of assisted outpatient treatment that tie consumer benefits, cash and in kind, to ‘‘involuntary’’ outpatient treatment, including medication compliance. He recommends that services be prioritized to serve individuals with the most severe of mental illnesses, in order to prevent future dumping of difficult clients by agencies interested solely in profits. This is a contentious recommendation because it has the potential to engender an opposite set of unintended consequences. American Psychosis is an overview of mental health policy that highlights its failures and unintended consequences. What it lacks in original content, it makes up for with scandal; it is not a dry or boring historical read but might strike some as flagrant and unappealing. Torrey missed the opportunity, in his latest text, to discuss the potential impacts of new legislation on health care. He only mentions briefly, and without apparent optimism, that he hopes that the Affordable Care Act provides an avenue for some change in the current model.