This book highlights a broad range of issues on mental health and illness in large cities. It presents the epidemiology of mental disorders in cities, cultural issues of urban mental health care, and community care in large cities and urban slums. It also includes chapters on homelessness, crime and racism - problems that are increasingly prevalent in many cities world wide. Finally, it looks at the increasing challenges of mental disorders in rapidly growing cities. The book is aimed at an international audience and includes contributions from clinicians and researchers worldwide.

The three editors, Christina Blanner Kristiansen (CBK, graduates from medical school 2015) Niels Okkels (NO, graduated 2014) and Povl Munk-Jørgensen (PMJ, graduated 1972) have since 2011 established themselves as a well functioning team in psychiatric research education and publishing. PMJ represents a longlasting international experience in academic psychiatry e.g. 18 years editorship of The Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica and six years as president of The European Psychiatric Association Section Epidemiology and Social Psychiatry. His main interest is recruiting and education on an elitarian level. CBK and NO represents the paradigmatic shift in psychiatry towards an early entrance into academic psychiatry seen these years among the best of medical students. Both started preparing their ph.d.-studies already very early during medical school, both focusing on clinical relevant topics. Both of them already have solid experiences within academic psychiatry and profound international networks. CBK´s ph.d.-study involves three European university clinics; NO has gained editorial experiences from writing a Danish Psychiatric e-Textbook and from an advisory board membership with The Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica.In 2012 NO and PMJ established The Psychiatric Research Academy, inviting the most gifted and interested medical students to be trained in practical clinical research on an eliterian basis; CBK is a member of The Academy´s steering committee.Niels Okkels is our team leader in editing the present book.