Expectations and illusions: a position paper on the relationship between mental health practitioners and social exclusion.

Over the last 10 years, the social inclusion agenda has been gaining momentum as a policy driver in mental health services. Prior to the seminal Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) report, Mental Health and Social Exclusion, there was a lack of awareness concerning the pervasive links between social exclusion and mental health problems. In the report, the SEU suggested that mental health practitioners themselves may actually be contributing to this social exclusion. This finding has been given limited coverage in both social inclusion literature and research. The current paper is a positioned commentary further exploring the relationship between practitioners and the social exclusion of mental health service users. A literature review was conducted in order to identify themes among factors which appear to moderate and contribute to this relationship. These factors are presented and implications for inclusive practice are explored.