Phenomenology of Health and Relationships

Call for Chapters Relationships and Mental Health: Towards a relational understanding of distress Edited by Zoë Boden & Michael Larkin Background It is well documented that   supportive, close relationships are central to wellbeing (e.g. Baumeister & Leary, 1995;   Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010;   Metz, 2009), but connectedness in the context of mental health and distress is complex. Interpersonal   relationships are dually implicated in both “the creation and amelioration of mental health problems” (Pilgrim, Rogers & Bentall, 2009, p.235). People experiencing distress can sometimes find relationships ‘risky’ or frightening (Dorahy et al., 2013; Lysaker, Johannesen, & Lysaker, 2005; Redmond, Larkin & Harrop, 2010), often in the context of early experiences of trauma and adversity (Edwards, Holden, Felitti & Anda, 2003; Read, Van Os & Morrison, 2005), and stigmatisation and exclusion are commonplace ( De Silva et al 2005;   Pilgrim et al., 2009;