Mental Health

Mental health is and always has been critical to optimal functioning in life. When mental illness strikes it makes it difficult, if not impossible to benefit from and contribute to society. This course presents topics such as the very contentious question of how to define mental health and mental illness, an issue which fluctuates and reflects social, cultural and political forces present at the time. The various theoretical perspectives such as the psychodynamic, behavioral, humanistic, existential, cognitive, neuroscience and sociocultural models of mental health are also explored. The majority of this course, however, focuses on developing an understanding of the various types and categories of mental illness that can afflict people. These include: anxiety disorders (e.g. phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic distress), somatoform and dissociative disorders (e.g. « multiple personality disorder », hypochondriasis), mood disorders (e.g. depression, « manic-depression »), eating disorders (e.g. anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating), substance-related disorders, personality disorders (e.g. narcissistic, antisocial), schizophrenia and childhood disorders (e.g. autism, conduct disorder). In addition, current diagnostic procedures, research methods and, of course, treatments will be discussed.