Undergraduate

Challenging ideas in mental health

On this page

• What you will study
• Entry
• If you have a disability or additional requirement
• Study materials
• Teaching and assessment
• Students also studied
• Future availability

Ideas about the concept of mental health are hotly contested, and often personally and intellectually challenging. This course invites you to think differently about life’s dilemmas by considering the views of all concerned, especially people experiencing mental distress. Using a holistic framework, it explores ideas and practice in mental health – encouraging you to review your own beliefs and experiences and to challenge yourself and others on a more informed footing. The course will appeal to a wide range of people – workers in health and social care, service users/survivors, friends and families, and anyone with a general interest in this complex and challenging topic.

Course facts

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

This course is complementary to the Level 2 course Diverse perspectives on mental health (K225).

It looks at mental health from a holistic perspective which covers five dimensions of the person – social, emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual. Using this holistic perspective, the course grounds itself in emerging and contemporary debates in mental health. You will consider the influence of the life-course and life events on mental health alongside the development and significance of personality. You will explore the growing awareness of mental health challenges facing both younger and older people, as well as the complex issues facing people who also have physical or learning disabilities. You will also look at the wider implications and possibilities for mental health services, including the use of alternative and complementary approaches, as well as ideas underpinning the contested concept of ‘recovery’.

By the end of the course you should have developed knowledge and understanding of:

• the range, complexity and dilemmas of diverse perspectives in the field of mental health and distress
• a holistic model for understanding mental health and distress
• the importance of service users’/survivors’ experiences and perspectives
• how mental health issues affect everyone
• the structure of contemporary mental health services, including legislation, policy, planning and delivery
• theories and debates about mental health and the relevance of a wide range of sources of evidence.

The course consists of four separate blocks, each integrating printed learning materials with media resources and activities.

Block 1 – Shifting boundaries – explores the theme of boundaries; boundaries within and between groups, within and between different explanatory frameworks, and within and between experiences of mental health and distress. It introduces and explores a holistic framework for understanding mental health and distress using a range of experiences – social, emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual.

Block 2 – Searching for understandings – charts a journey through a range of experiences, drawing on understandings about children and the development of personality through to old age. It explores the differences and similarities between disability and mental distress, and considers how issues such as drug and alcohol misuse are addressed by health and social care services.

Block 3 – Helpful responses? – addresses a range of issues concerning the diverse ways in which responses to mental distress are produced and experienced: for example how different models of intervention and therapeutic approaches are used and evidenced. It examines the complexity and problematic nature of the concept of risk. It explores the meaning of care as it relates to the experiences of service users, carers and mental health professionals, as well as the role of ‘talking therapies’ and the contribution of complementary and alternative approaches to mental health.

Block 4 – Dilemmas and challenges – explores some of the many challenges and dilemmas faced by service users/survivors and workers in mental health services posed, for example, by the pharmaceutical industry and advocacy. It also examines the contested concept of ‘recovery’ in the context of mental health, reviewing the barriers to adopting a ‘recovery model’ and developing ideas about its practical application.

Entry

K272 is a Level 2 course and you need to have a good knowledge of the subject area, obtained either through Level 1 study with the OU or by doing equivalent work at another university. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Preparatory work

You will receive guidance of how to get started online in your first course mailing. This will provide you with information on using your computer for OU study and working with the Computing Guide. For example, it explains how to access and use your website and online discussion forums. If you have time before the course starts, you can work through this and explore all the online services available to you.

If you have a disability or additional requirement

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

Course books, other printed materials, CDs and CD-ROM. You will have access to a website through which teaching and library resources are available. Electronic versions of most of the printed study materials are provided on the website.

You will need

A CD player.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.

You will need internet access and a computer with Microsoft Office installed. The software on this module has some advanced features that only work in the proprietary versions of Microsoft Office. If you don't already have Microsoft Office, you can take advantage of a special educational offer.

If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day-schools that you are encouraged to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. 

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Diverse perspectives on mental health (K225)
• An introduction to health and social care (K101)
• Managing care (K303)
• Death and dying (K260)
• Applied social work practice (K216)

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2012. We expect it to be available once a year.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Study explained

Financial support

- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.

Study explained

- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

A taste of OU study

Student Reviews

This is a fantastic course in every aspect. It is extremely relevant and informative. It is well written and the ...
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I really enjoyed the course so much so that I enrolled in the other course diverse persepctives in mental health. ...
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Course satisfaction survey

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Your questions

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Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

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