An introduction to the psychology of mental health conditions

Aims of the course

This course aims for you to:
1. Gain an understanding of key terms such as ‘mental health’ and ‘mental illness’.
2. Appreciate the complexity involved with issues such as conceptualisation (how we define specific mental health conditions and understand their causal factors) and intervention (how we 'treat', manage or support those with specific conditions).
3. Gain a better understanding of how conceptualisation and treatment issues apply to the specific conditions covered in the course.

Content

Over the last few decades, the way in which ‘mental health’ and mental health conditions / disorders are viewed has changed radically. Once upon a time, ‘mental illness’ was regarded in a very negative way and bound up with high levels of stigma. This has changed in many parts of the world and people generally have a better understanding of mental health issues. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that mental health is a broader issue that relates to everyone. For example, just because a person is free from any major physical illness, it does not mean that they are ‘physically fit’. The same idea applies to mental illness.

This growing awareness has become much more acute in recent years with the advent of COVID and the various measures that have been put in place. Arguably, COVID has been responsible for one of the most widespread challenges to global mental health that we have seen in decades. As a result, the issue of mental health is perhaps more relevant now than it has ever been. Given this situation, it is more important than ever for people to gain a better understanding of mental health and mental illness and the key aim of this course is to achieve this understanding for all of the students attending. The first two sessions will be spent exploring the concepts of mental health and mental conditions and also looking at how such conditions are best conceptualised. This will also involve the issue of intervention / treatment. The remaining sessions will then apply this knowledge onto three specific mental health areas: mood disorders, the autism spectrum and schizophrenia.

Presentation of the course

Seminar style talks with PowerPoint presentation. The Course Director will at every stage be engaging with course members, to encourage participation, discussion and reflection.  

Class sessions

There will be five key topics that will be explored over the two weeks. Each topic will be covered over two sessions / days. This will allow for greater depth of coverage (given the complexity of the topics) and also allow time for reflection before moving on to the next topic.

Mental Health and Mental Health Conditions – in sessions 1 and 2 we will explore the history of ‘mental illness’ and focus on the constructed nature of mental health conditions and disorders.

Conceptualisation and Intervention – in sessions 3 and 4 we will examine the key issue of conceptualising (at the cognitive or mind level) mental health conditions that often manifest (or are diagnosed) at the behavioural level. We will also look in general terms at the notion of intervention eg what is the aim of an intervention?

Mood Disorders – in sessions 5 and 6, core knowledge from the first four sessions will then be applied to a consideration of mood disorders. The main focus will be on understanding Major Depressive Disorder but time will also be spent exploring Bipolar Disorder. The

Autism Spectrum – in sessions 7 and 8, core knowledge will then be applied to examine the autism spectrum. This will include coverage of the historical development of the condition, an in depth focus on cognitive models and also a discussion of what interventions seek to achieve.

Schizophrenia(s) – in sessions 9 and 10, core knowledge will then be applied to the topic of schizophrenia. Aside from examining clinical features and causal models, we will also explore whether this condition should be conceptualised as a single condition or rather a cluster or syndrome involving related conditions. There will also be an opportunity to summarise on the course and reflect on the material covered.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:
1. Understand more fully the complexities of mental health / illness.
2. Gain an appreciation of the challenges related to developing interventions.
3. Understand three key mental health conditions and apply knowledge from earlier in the course to these.

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.