GEP Medicine in Society Handbook 2019/20

3.5. Mental health

Aims

To introduce students to health promotion strategies to improve mental health; to the impact of chronic and acute mental illness on the health of the population and the multi-agency support needed in promotion of mental health and management of mental illness.

Preparatory work

Before arriving at the placement students will have read the recommended reading and researched the national statistics on the incidence and prevalence of mental health.  The Mental Health Foundation is one source of statistics on mental health.   

The Mind website is a good starting point for learning about mental illness and how it impacts on people's lives.  It has an A-Z of mental health conditions and blogs/video diaries telling people's stories. Eleanor Longden is a psychologist who was diagnosed with schizophrenia whilst a student, she describes her recovery in a TED talk.

For recommendations on mental health services from service users please see the Comment is Free article from the Guardian.

Objectives

By the end of the day students should be able to:

• Identify local and national strategies to improve mental health;
• Discuss the national and practice prevalence of mental illness;
• Describe the local support services for people with mental illness;
• Discuss the different needs of patients with acute and chronic mental health problems.

Suggested Activities

• Tutorial on mental health promotion and acute and chronic mental illness;
• Prepare for a meeting with a patient with chronic mental illness;
• Home visit to a patient with chronic mental illness;
• Visit to voluntary agency providing support for people with mental illness;
• Debriefing tutorial.