Second the role of nurses in mental health care has undergone continuing expansion since the first edition and this is reflected in an increased role in the construction of evidence Accordingly most f the chapter contributors in this new edition are as in the first edition mental health nurses but critically the research work to which they refer is also increasingly being conducted by nurses either as leaders or members of research teams This situation would have been a great 20 or 30 years ago but is now regarded as the norm and nurse researchers in mental health have assumed a place of equality with psychiatrists psychologists and sociologists in many areas of mental health research contributing to innovative interventions as well as insights into the experiences of those with mental health problems