Undergraduate Course: Mental Health and Wellbeing (NUST08010)
Course Outline
| School | School of Health in Social Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will begin by situating mental health and well-being at the population level. An understanding of mental health and illness and its impact on the individual and the wider community will be developed. The nature of nursing interventions for people with mental illness will be explored. A central aim of the course is the development of those communication skills that nurses will require to support people with mental health problems in a range of settings. |
| Course description |
Mental health constitutes a significant element of the health of the individual. Currently it is estimated that 1 in 4 people will experience mental health problems at some point in their life and there is an increasing prevalence of comorbid mental and physical health problems. It is therefore imperative that nurses working in any field have an understanding of those factors that impact on mental health, the commonly experienced mental health problems and services that can provide specialist mental health support.
This course provides students with a historical and policy grounded overview of the field of mental health care before examining in some detail the mental health issues that are commonly encountered by individuals, their impact on the person¿s life, and consideration of how the nurse might support the person.
Assessment and support of people who are experiencing mental health problems is contingent on the development of the therapeutic relationship. Therapeutic relationships involve working in partnership with patients focusing on a definition of their needs. These relationships are built on excellent communication skills, empathy and the effort to connect as a human being with the other.
Specific content
Policy and historical context of mental health services
The experience of being a patient on a psychiatric ward
Adolescent mental health
Mental health and older people
Mood disorders
Altered perception
Substance misuse
Personality disorder
Communication theories
Student learning experience
Students can expect to engage in lectures, workshops and tutorials. Tutorials focus on understanding the experience of mental health problems from an individual and family perspective drawing on texts, poems, and videos. The workshops require students to reflect on their interpersonal and communications skills and develop these further through the use of discussion and exercises.
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Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- The ability to locate mental health problems within a preventative paradigm of mental health and wellbeing
- The ability to understand the patient / client experience of mental illness and understand varying dependency needs in all aspects of living with mental health issues
- The ability to apply the concepts and skills introduced in year 1 to understanding the need for a holistic nursing approach in both physical and mental health care delivery
- The ability to integrate theoretical and practice centred learning in relation to the key concepts of mental health care
- Increasing competence in communication and interpersonal skills, particularly in relation to self-awareness and sensitive communication with people who have mental health problems
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Rosie Stenhouse
Tel: (0131 6)51 5160
Email: Rosie.Stenhouse@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Morven Sutherland
Tel: (0131 6)51 3972
Email: Morven.Sutherland@ed.ac.uk |
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