| CODE | SWP2156 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Mental Health for Social Work 1 | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Social Policy and Social Work | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit is aimed to provide the students with knowledge of the various aspects of mental illness, on its aetiology and on the various treatment options for such conditions. The multidisciplinary approach to mental illness is emphasized throughout the whole module. Lectures are delivered by both a psychiatrist and a psychologist to emphasize this approach. The unit is aimed so that together with Mental Health for Social Work II (SWP3156), the students will have lectures on all the major areas of mental illness. This study-unit starts with lectures on Historical and Theoretical Perspectives of Mental Illness. Lectures will be given on the Psychodynamic Model, Behavioural Model and Biopsychosocial Model. There will be lectures on Classification of Mental Illness. The disorders that will be included in this study-unit are Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, Mood Disorders, Personality Disorders and Substance Use Disorders. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to provide a brief exposure to the world of abnormal psychology. For this reason, a short selection of topics deemed to be the most common and more likely to be encountered in the field of social work will be mostly discussed. The world of psychopathology will be addressed from the fields of psychiatry, psychology and the law. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • define the complexity and the elusive nature of abnormality; • distinguish between genetic predispositions to pathology and precipitating factors; • appreciate the role of the social environment in the triggering and the creating of those conditions related to such disorders; • recognise the most common forms of personality disorders or other conditions and to identify them. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • go beyond populist notions of abnormality and to apply more scientific criteria in identifying and understanding of such phenomena; • go beyond personal/gender bias and be able to address such cases in a more objective way; • report on such cases in technical language and to refer them to specialised care; • make practical decisions especially in crisis situations. Suggested Textbook: Comer, Ronald, J., Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, 7th. Edition. Macmillan International Edition. 2014. Any other textbook which is based on DSM 5 classification. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Anthony Dimech Paul Galea (Co-ord.) Anna Maria Vella |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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