Sem: AY19/20 Semester 2
Lecturer: Dr Caroline Lim
Overview: This was really an eye-opening module, as it increased my familiarity with the different mental disorders and their associated symptoms. Even before COVID-19, issues associated with mental health were beginning to gain traction and I was glad that it helped to address certain common misconceptions and preconceived notions that many of us had about mental disorders. I think this was Dr Caroline’s first (or second time) teaching this mod and she brings a certain type of enthusiasm and passion that you normally see in new lecturers, even though she can get a bit too ambitious with regards to the lecture content. That said, she has much experience working with clients with mental health issues and she will occasionally ask you to put yourself in the shoes of these clients, which helped me to develop a greater sense of empathy for people suffering from these conditions. You can’t find a more patient, kind and understanding lecturer that really wants you to leave with a well-rounded understanding of the mental disorders covered, while also genuinely caring about your well-being. She is open to giving deadline extensions for assignments if you are feeling particularly swamped, and regularly encourages us to take breaks even during busy periods.
While technically a social work mod, given the nature of this mod, it’s probably as close to a psych mod as I could ever get without actually doing psych. Each lecture is focused on a particular type of mental disorder and Dr Caroline will provide a comprehensive run-through of the different signs and symptoms associated with the disorder based on the DSM-5 criterion. You will also learn how classifications and diagnoses of various mental disorders change over time. Readings were quite manageable and provides a useful supplement to what Dr Caroline covers in lectures. It’s also at this point I need to add a disclaimer for those interested in this mod: You won’t really learn much about how to work with clients with mental disorders, as that’s not the aim of the mod. Instead, the mod is geared towards helping you identify signs and symptoms of mental disorders when working with clients in the future. This is something that you might want to take note of when deciding whether to take this mod.
Assessment:
6 Short Assignments (90% - 15% each): Heard it’s been cut down to 3 as of AY20/21 Sem 2 but don’t be intimidated by the numbers!! These short assignments are really very chill and can be completed within a day. Each assignment comprises of 1 case study (some are based on actual clients that Dr Caroline has worked with) and you have to determine what mental health condition(s) does the case exhibit. In your answer, just systematically run through the different signs and symptoms based on what you learnt and the information provided to you. You will often get credit as long as you can reasonably justify your answer, even though it might differ from Dr Caroline’s answer key.
Tutorial Attendance and Participation (10%): Similar to the assignments, we were given a case study and we had to determine the mental health condition that best reflects the signs and symptoms described. Tutorials give you an idea of what Dr Caroline is looking out for in your assignments, as the case studies were often very similar to the short assignments that we eventually work on.
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