Mental Health and Deafness

The assessment and treatment of mental health concerns for Deaf individuals has been largely ignored and/or misunderstood by many mental health professionals. In Mental Health and Deafness, Margaret du Feu and Cathy Chovaz seek to rectify this by outlining current issues surrounding mental health and deafness. The book provides valuable information to professionals interested in expanding their knowledge of mental health and deafness, and the authors share their extensive clinical experience with the reader through a variety of case studies. The authors primarily focus on individuals who were born deaf or deafened early in life, but also describe the mental health aspects of acquired deafness and individuals with both deafness and blindness. Mental Health and Deafness begins by describing the historical and social context of deafness, and follows the life journey of a Deaf individual, focusing on parental reactions, language acquisition, and mental health disorders of children, adolescents, adults and the elderly. Chapters cover relevant issues regarding assessment, treatment, and forensic and legal issues. The book concludes with an overview of service development.

Margaret du Feu is a consultant psychiatrist in the development of Deaf Mental Health Services in Birmingham, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland. Deafened by cochlear otosclerosis, she received a cochlear implant in 1999. She uses British Sign Language (BSL), Irish Sign Language (ISL) and spoken English both personally and professionally.


Cathy Chovaz is a Professor in the Department of Psychology, Kings University College and in the Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine, at the University of Western Ontario. She was deafened in 1985, and uses both American Sign Language and spoken English.