Images of Mental Illness

Catalog description

The course will explore images of mental illness from the nineteenth century to the present. We will use materials from the psychiatric literature, news accounts, fiction, biographies, film, and patient narratives. Key themes include: what is mental illness? How have health professionals and society responded to those with mental illness over time? In what ways have those responses changed over time? Why does mental illness generate stigma? How has mental illness overlapped with other sources of stigma, such as poverty, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity? What are ongoing ethics challenges in treating mental illness? Prerequisite(s): Certificate program or instructor permission.