"This book explores, for the first time in an edited collection, the intersection of three important areas of research - women, madness and the law. It attempts to advance the debates about how law and the 'psy' sciences play a critical role in regulating and controlling the lives of women. The themes chosen for this collection help to highlight and explain how the processes and practices of legal and psychiatric institutions shape our understanding of women's madness. This book offers an integrated, critical understanding of the issues by gathering together a panel of international feminist scholars working across a range of disciplines."--Jacket.