Unique in combining insights from social psychiatry with recent findings in biological psychiatry at the time, this book, originally published in 1992, provided a new and invaluable model for common mental disorders. The authors, one a physician, the other trained in the social sciences, surveyed a wide field to describe the physical basis of common mental disorders and the way in which events in an individual’s life can bring about an episode of mental disorder. This was the first model to give equal emphasis in determining susceptibility to mental disorder to social and psychological events on the one hand, and to factors affecting physical health on the other.

David Goldberg and Peter Huxley expand and develop their earlier successful and widely-quoted book Mental Illness in the Community (1980), to define three important components:

vulnerability – factors which make some individuals more susceptible than others to episodes of mental disorder

destabilisation – the process of beginning to experience symptoms

restitution – factors which determine how long an episode of illness will last in a particular individual.

They describe the physical processes which underlie states of depression and anxiety, and show how environmental factors can exert direct effects upon these processes. They take a public health approach throughout, and conclude by discussing the implications of recent findings both for the future pattern of services and for training needs of mental health professionals.

Essential reading for all those who work in the specialist mental health services, Common Mental Disorders will also be useful to GPs, primary health care workers and the interested layman. Today it can be read in its historical context.

David Goldberg (1934–1924) was, at the time of original publication, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Mental Illness Research Unit at the University of Manchester. He was knighted in 1997 for contributions to medicine and presented with a lifetime achievement award at the inaugural Royal College of Psychiatrists Awards ceremony in recognition of his dedication throughout his career to alleviating suffering, and leading to on research and service development.

Peter Huxley qualified as a psychiatric social worker and completed his MSc and PhD under the supervision of Professor Sir David Goldberg at Manchester University. He has written 11 books and over 200 peer-reviewed articles. He has published social outcome measures on quality of life, social capital, and social inclusion. He has been the Director of three academic research units. His global research collaborations include work in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, India, The Netherlands, Norway, and Wales. The longest collaboration, covering the best part of 25 years, was with the late Dr Richard Warner, in Boulder, Colorado, USA.