James Cook University Subject Handbook - 2003

MD2007:03

Mental Health

Townsville HECS Band 3

13 hours lectures, 39 hours guided learning sessions, 13 hours synthesising sessions. Full year.

Available to level 2 students enrolled in the MBBS program.

Staff: Assoc. Professor E Helmes.

This subject will introduce students to the psychological concepts and problems of health, illness and health care. It will introduce psychological assessment and intervention and psychiatric diagnosis and classification in medical settings and some of the selected major mental health problems of children, adolescents and adults.

Learning Objectives:

  1. understand some of the psychosocial and behavioural factors that are medically relevant and clinically significant in health and illness;
  2. be aware of and adopt psychosocial strategies that impinge on best health care practice, especially, in general practice and in the context of rural, remote and Indigenous health;
  3. learn the basic skills of psychiatric history taking, mental status examination and psychiatric diagnosis and clinical formulation;
  4. learn basic skills of counselling and psycho-education in health care settings;
  5. develop a compassionate and caring approach to individuals with psychological disorders and the mentally ill;
  6. appreciate and understand the biopsychosocial and multidimensional nature of health, illness and healing.

Assessment by end-of-year integrated examination which will consist of a written component (67%) and a practical component (33%). Students will also be required to undertake informal on-course assessment tasks.