GEN PSY MODULE 5

5.2 PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATMENT DISCUSSION (2 paragraphs only)

Introduction and Alignment

References to the treatment of people with mental health issues can be found throughout history. Our understanding of how to treat individuals with mental illness has not been progressive or linear. Whether or not a behavior has been considered normal or abnormal has largely depended on the time and culture. In this discussion forum, you will explore different time periods and how individuals with mental health issues have been treated.

Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

• Discuss the history of psychological therapies.

Resources

• Choose one of the following:
• A Victorian Mental Asylum
• Lore Episode 6 Podcast (22:37)
• How the Loss of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led to a Mental Health Crisis

Supplementary Resource

• Unit 14: Therapy, General Psychology: An Introduction.
• Chapter 10, The General Theory of Love.
• History of Mental Illness

Assignment Instructions

Prepare to discuss the history of the treatment of mental illness. Your initial post should be two paragraphs long that includes a thesis statement, transnational phrases, and a conclusion.

Select one of the following prompts:

Isolation and Asylums: Explore and research A Victorian Mental Asylum. Answer the following:

• How did the use of asylums and isolation emerge as a treatment for individuals with mental health issues?
• What treatments were used in asylums?
• Describe an asylum reformer and the start of the moral treatment system.
• Include limitations of this system.

Lobotomy: Listen to the Lore Episode 6 Pocast(22:37) over lobotomies. Answer the following:

• What are your thoughts on Walter Freeman?
• Did he care for his patients or was he a monster?
• What were some problems with how Freeman conducted lobotomies?
•  Do you think that something like this could occur in the United States today or in the future?

Current Mental Health Crisis: Read the NPR article How the Loss of U.S. Psychiatric Hospitals Led to a Mental Health Crisis. Answer the following:

• What factors led to the shortage of inpatient facilities?
• Where do the majority of individuals receive mental health care?
• What should be our next steps to remedy this issue?

5.3 Self Care Plan (1 page only, do not the worksheets in them)

Introduction and Alignment

Our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors play a vital role in our overall health. Some major determinants of happiness are inborn temperament, quality of social relationships, ability to meet basic needs, and the society in which they belong. With the onset of the COVID pandemic, many were faced with a society that was stressful and chaotic. In this assignment, you will construct a self-care plan in order to develop coping strategies for an ever-changing world. A self-care plan identifies activities and practices that support our wellbeing.

Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

• Describe psychological factors that contribute to resilience and improved health.

Resources

• Unit 9: Health and Stress in General Psychology: An Introduction
• The Lifestyle Behaviors Assessment
• The Self-Care Assessment
• My Maintenance Self-Care Worksheet
• Emergency Self-Care Worksheet

Supplementary Resources

• Greater Good in Action

Assignment Instructions

This assignment will contribute to the Psychological Toolbox that you will create this week. To construct a self-care plan and a reflection, you may use the following worksheets to guide you. You will not need to turn in these worksheets, but it is recommended to complete them:

• Identify what you do now to manage the stress in your life by completing The Lifestyle Behaviors assessment.
• Identify positive practices that you already use in your self-care by completing The Self-Care assessment.
• Identify activities that are important to your well being by completing the My Maintenance Self-Care Worksheet 
• Plan self-care during extremely trying times using the Emergency Self-Care Worksheet 

Reflection

Create a 1-page (not including title page and reference page) summary of your self-care plan based on your responses to the assessment questions.

Address the following in essay format:

1. What kinds of interventions might help to improve resilience? Who will these interventions help the most?
2. Describe the psychological factors that contribute to health.
3. Is your self-care plan manageable for you? Why or why not?
4. What changes would you need to make to ensure that your plan can be used effectively and in the long term?

5.4 MENTAL HEALTH EMPATHY CASE STUDY (3 pages max)

Introduction and Alignment

Mental illness touches nearly all of our lives, in some capacity. Mental health treatment has undergone extensive change over the years, from ineffective to dangerous. The single enduring quality of mental health is that it is experienced by living and breathing humans. In this assignment, psychological disorders will become living and humanized as you develop empathy for real people who live with these conditions on a daily basis.

Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

• Describe the human process of living with a psychological issue.

Resources

• Chapter 13, General Psychology: An Introduction.
• Chapter 9, The General Theory of Love.
• SNU Library - Use at least 3 scholarly sources, such as the textbook and sources found through the SNU library catalog. Do NOT cite Simply Psychology or other non-scholarly websites.

Supplementary Resources

• APA Style and Grammar Guidelines
• APA Paper Format

Assignment Instructions

For this assignment, you will continue to add to your Psychological Toolbox.

First, choose one category of psychological disorders from the following options:

•       Anxiety disorders
•       Mood disorders
•       Schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Then, select one specific disorder from your chosen category. Research and monitor the experiences and stories posted by people who identify with having a disorder in your chosen diagnostic category. Monitor the narratives posted on public internet sites, such as discussion forums, written and video blogs, YouTube channels, advocacy sites, and social media pages. Do not volunteer names/email addresses or post comments as you engage in this observatory process.

Finally, write a 3-page paper (not including title page and reference page) including sentence mechanics and grammar rules. Use at least 3 scholarly sources, such as the textbook and sources found through the SNU library catalog. Do NOT cite Simply Psychology or other non-scholarly websites. Be sure to use in-text citations, citing the textbook and any other sources you paraphrase or quote in your paper.

In your paper, reflect upon the process and the insights gained from the process, addressing the following:

Introduction

• Describe the category of disorders you decided to monitor.
• Why did you decide to focus on this category? Briefly describe this category of disorders (cite the textbook or DSM-5 when paraphrasing information).

Process

• Describe what the process of observation was like for you.
• What was it like to search for and read about others’ experiences online?
• What was most difficult about the process? What was most rewarding about the process?

Reflection

• Describe what you learned about the human experiences of people with the disorders you were monitoring.
• What surprised you the most about what you read?
• How does the information you learned while observing correspond to what you have learned in this class about this category of psychological disorders?
• In what ways did these human stories reflect what you have learned?
• If applicable, in what ways did these human stories differ with what you thought you knew about psychological disorders before? Use specific information from the textbook or other scholarly sources, and cite your sources.

As you reflect upon what you have learned, consider addressing some of the following common discoveries. Do not limit yourself to the following list because you may discover important themes that are not included here.

Observers often gain new insights about:

• what people with diagnoses think and feel on the inside.
• the difficulties that arise with medication side effects.
• the similarity/dissimilarity between abnormal and normal functioning.
• the diversity of experiences among people with the same diagnosis.
• the co-occurring nature of many disorders.
• problems with the mental health care delivery system.
• the effects of stigma on people with mental health diagnoses.
• the problems that arise in living everyday life with a psychological disorder.
• the everyday social/relational impact of psychological disorders.

Wrap up with a summary of the major themes or personal lessons that you will take with you from this process. For example, how has this process shaped how you think about, feel toward, or behave around others who struggle with mental health concerns?

5.5 PSYCHOLOGICAL TOOLBOX PRESENTATION (8 slides including title)

Introduction and Alignment

Throughout this course, you have developed and built several strategies and tools that you can apply to your daily life. For this assignment, you will place all of your tools together to build a psychological toolbox and present your toolbox to your instructor.

Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

• Present the psychological skills and strategies acquired throughout this course.

Resources

• All resources pertaining to this course.

Supplementary Resources

• Basic Principles of References
• Reference Examples

Assignment Instructions

Each week, you have assembled different psychological tools that you should be able to use and apply to your everyday life. In this assignment, you will create a presentation (Google Slides or PowerPoint) showcasing the skills and strategies you have developed over this course.

You may refer back to the following assignments for your presentation:

• Motivational Tools (Week 2)
• Decision-making Tools (Week 3)
• Memory Tools (Week 3)
• Persuasion Tools (Week 4)
• Self-Care Plan (Week 5)
• Empathy Tools
• Opioid Diaries Reflection (Week 2)
• Mental Health Empathy Case Study (Week 5)

Your presentation should be at least 8 slides and follow the 6X6 rule. Make sure your presentation includes a coherent design applied to all slides, transitions between slides, and the following content:

• a title slide
• a slide over the motivational tools including:
• a brief description of the tools or strategies you learned
• include a reflection sentence
• a picture
• a slide over the memory tools including:
• a brief description of the tools or strategies you learned
• include a reflection sentence
• a picture
• a slide over self-care strategies including:
• a brief description of the tools or strategies you learned
• include a reflection sentence
• a picture
• a slide over decision-making strategies including:
• a brief description of the tools or strategies you learned
• include a reflection sentence
• a picture
• a slide over persuasion strategies including:
• a brief description of the tools or strategies you learned
• include a reflection sentence
• a picture
• a slide over empathy tools including:
• a brief description of the tools or strategies you learned
• include a reflection sentence
• a picture
• a reference slide:
• Be sure to list your sources in APA format on your references slide.