Mental health problems, and the way we understand them, are a perennial source of fascination, but there is a surprising gap in the literature when it comes to mental health service clients' own understandings of mental ill health. At a time when service users' perspectives are increasingly recognised in healthcare, this seminal book highlights the importance of clients' perceptions of all aspects of mental illness. It examines the implications of these understandings, especially in relation to clients' relationships with services.