About this course: Learn how social factors promote mental health, influence the onset and course of mental illness, and affect how mental illnesses are diagnosed and treated. This course explores how our understanding of mental health and illness has been influenced by social attitudes and social developments in North America and around the world. The course begins by situating our contemporary mental health practices in historical context, then looks at different aspects of mental health, mental illness and mental health services and their connections to what’s going on in our social environment.
Created by: University of Toronto
Taught by: Charmaine Williams, Associate Professor
Faculty of Social Work
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Welcome and A Brief History of Madness
We begin with a quick orientation to the course and continue with our first lecture topic: A brief history of madness.
11 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Course Information
- Video: Welcome to the course!
- Reading: Readings and Resources
- Video: 1.0 Introduction
- Discussion Prompt: Introductions
- Video: 1.1 Visiting the asylum
- Video: 1.2 Why the asylum?
- Video: 1.3 20th century mental health care
- Video: 1.4 Antipsychiatry
- Video: 1.5 Deinstitutionalization
- Video: 1.6 Community-based mental health care
- Video: 1.7 Recovery and mental health
- Video: 1.8 Conclusion
- Video: Bonus material: An introduction to author Caroline Fei-Yeng Kwok
Graded: Commentary
WEEK 2
What is mental health and what causes mental illness?
8 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Readings and Resources
- Video: 2.0 introduction to lecture 2
- Video: 2.1 defining mental health
- Video: 2.2 what is mental illness?
- Video: 2.3 social determinants of mental health
- Video: 2.4 SDoH in action
- Video: 2.5 the biopsychosocial perspective on mental health
- Video: 2.6 applying the biopsychosocial perspective
- Video: 2.7 Conclusion
- Discussion Prompt: Key social determinants of mental health in your local community
WEEK 3
The social context of diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses
9 videos, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Readings and Resources
- Video: 3.0 Introduction to lecture 3
- Video: 3.1 Demystifying the DSM
- Video: 3.2 Diagnosis as a series of social events
- Video: 3.3 Diagnosis: An example of the role of social context
- Video: 3.4a The social context of treatment options
- Video: 3.4b The social context of treatment options part 2
- Video: 3.5 The social context of treatment access
- Video: 3.6 Conclusion
- Discussion Prompt: Psychiatric Diagnoses and Genera Medical Diagnoses
- Discussion Prompt: Involuntary treatment
- Practice Quiz: Extra-credit quiz
- Video: From summer 2014: what's with the DSM?
Graded: Personal Reflection
WEEK 4
Culture, mental health and mental illness
8 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Readings and Resources
- Video: 4.0 introduction to lecture 4
- Video: 4.1 culture mental health mental illness
- Video: 4.2 culture & mental health in historical context
- Video: 4.3 culture and mental health
- Video: 4.4 culture and mental illness
- Video: 4.5 an example of intersections between culture and mental health
- Video: 4.6 cultural competence and multicultural mental health care
- Video: 4.7 Conclusions
- Discussion Prompt: Mental Illness Experience and Perspectives
WEEK 5
Families, caregiving and mental illness
6 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Readings and Resources
- Video: 5.0 introduction to lecture 5
- Video: 5.1 families and mental health
- Video: 5.2 do families cause mental illness - no
- Video: 5.3 families and caregiving
- Video: 5.4 families and recovery
- Video: 5.5 conclusions
- Discussion Prompt: Family Guide to Mental Health Recovery interviews
WEEK 6
society, communities and mental health
7 videos, 1 reading
- Reading: Readings and Resources
- Video: 6.0 introduction to lecture 6
- Video: 6.1 stigma and mental illness
- Video: 6.2a a life course approach to preventing mental disorders part 1
- Video: 6.2b a life course approach to preventing mental disorders part 2
- Video: 6.3 interventions to promote community mental health
- Video: 6.4 towards community that support mental health
- Video: 6.5 conclusions
- Discussion Prompt: Investing in Mental Health
Graded: Final Assignment
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
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Creators
University of Toronto
Established in 1827, the University of Toronto has one of the strongest research and teaching faculties in North America, presenting top students at all levels with an intellectual environment unmatched in depth and breadth on any other Canadian campus.
Ratings and Reviews
I enjoyed taking this class. I learned some interesting facts about mental illness and genetic propensities.
Awesome course by Professor Williams who taught us a lot about how to consider health issues under the social context to explore the interaction between health and social factors.
A great course. Charmaine Williams is a fantastic educator who made the learning easy, practical and very useful. The course has enabled me to reflect on my situation with much greater awareness. It has also motivated me to be supportive of families who are experiencing difficulties with mental illness. Very grateful.
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This is an excellent course. It is presented in a friendly and competent manner, useful for both Mental Health professionals and the lay person. Only the digital platform glitches and missing management compromised my rating. I use other online courses, and having the discussion forum below each video lesson is more user-friendly, essential towards the promotion of student engagement. The chronic issues of missing or non-functional links belie how awkward fixing the issues students have highlighted and recycling their solutions. These 2 critiques are the only reason I did not give a full 5 stars.