Mental health policy and the politics of mental health: A three tier analytical framework

Mental health policy and the politics of mental health are complex topics, studied by a wide range of academic disciplines using a variety of methodol ogies and styles of analysis. This article offers a broad unifying analytic al framework which includes this range and variety while bringing some orde r into a field which can overwhelm individual scholars. The framework has t hree tiers: macro, meso and micro. These refer respectively to global and t ranshistorical factors; national and cultural factors; and local and person al factors. A case study is outlined (mental health, violence and coercion) to illustrate the utlilty of the framework. In conclusion, its advantages and limits are discussed in relation to interdisciplinarity and transdiscip linarity.