INTRODUCTION TO MENTAL HEALTH

The course title is really a misnomer as this course is about Mental ill health.

This one day course is suitable for all social care staff working in the mental health field and health staff. It is intended as a broad ranging introduction to working with the mentally ill. Previous detailed knowledge of mental ill health is not presumed or taught on this course. The course is more concerned to “set the background scene” in which work with the mentally ill takes place. To this end, we examine attitudes to working with the mentally ill, value systems, the history of mental health work, the nature – nurture dichotomy, the methodology of diagnostics and the basics of Mental Status Examinations and Psychosocial Histories.

LEARNING THEMES: by the end of the course, participants will have understanding and awareness re the importance of the following:

• What is mental disorder?
• Historical perspectives on mental disorder
• Neurosis and Psychosis
• Aspects of the nature – nurture debate
• Some basic facts about mental ill health
• The role of values
• Diagnostic methodologies, including DSM and ICD systems.
• Basics of Mental Status Examination and Psychosocial History.
• Basics of the Care Programme Approach (CPA)

This course  acts as a precursor to other Osiris Mental Health courses.

Course Key Texts:

Osiris Course Handout

 Supplementary Reading:

DSM IV - R Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association)

ICD – 10 International Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders (World Health Organisation)

Bentall R (2003) Madness Explained (London, Allen Lane)

Costello T & Costello J (1992) Abnormal Psychology (New York, Harper Collins)

Durkin K (1998) Developmental Social Psychology from Infancy to Old Age (Oxford, Blackwell)

Goldberg D & Murray R (2002) The Maudsley Handbook of Psychiatric Medicine

(Oxford, OUP)

Grant B (1999) The Condition of Madness (New York, University Press of America)

Gregory R (ed) (1987) The Oxford Companion to Mind (Oxford, OUP)

Gross R (1996) Psychology: the science of mind and behaviour (London, Hodder & Stoughton)

Heller T et al (1996) Mental Health Matters (Basingstoke, Palgrave & O.U)

Johnstone D (1998) An Introduction to Disability Studies (London, David Fulton)

Kutchins K & Kirk S (1997) Making us Crazy: DSM – the Psychiatric Bible and the Creation of Mental Disorders (New York, Free Press)

Porter R (2002) Madness: a brief history (Oxford, OUP)

Ridley M (2003) Nature via Nurture (London, Fourth Estate)

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