CMH1002

Assessment and diagnosis in mental health

Mr S Elsom

6 credit points · 2 contact hours and 10 hours of study time per week · Taught through the Parkville (Royal Park) campus and by distance education · First semester

Objectives The objectives are that students should have acquired knowledge of the definitions and classifications systems used to identify, describe and communicate about mental illness; have explored and analysed the history and philosophical models which underpin the DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, American Psychiatric Association) and ICD 10 (International Classification of Diseases, World Health Organisation), and have developed a knowledge of approaches to and methods of assessment.
Synopsis This subject deals with classification systems for mental illness, and approaches and methods of assessment including: the assessment interview, psychiatric history, symptom descriptions, family assessment, on-going assessment, uses and abuses of diagnosis, uses of assessment for management and research, and ethics of assessment. This subject will be taught using computer-mediated communication, video conferencing, residential schools and mailed out text-based materials, as well as on-campus seminars and tutorials.

Assessment Study journal: 30% · Written assessment of 4000 words: 70%

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