Ms. L. Rodarte
Introduction to Psychology
WEBQUEST
MENTAL ILLNESS: What kind of treatment
should our mentally ill receive?
INTRODUCTION: Look carefully at the next ten people you
pass on the street. They’re almost
certain to look perfectly normal. But
appearances can be deceptive. Mental
health experts estimate that at least three of the people you walked past will
need help for an emotional problem at some time in their lives.
Does having a troubled personality mean
that these people are “crazy”? Should
they be locked up, drugged with tranquilizers, given shock treatments, forced
to undergo psychotherapy?
Imagine that a close friend or relative was
suffering emotionally. Your close friend or relative is asking for your help to
figure out what kind of treatment he/she is to receive. You research all the current treatments so
that you may provide your friend or relative with the most recent information.
You especially research the effects of drugs and shock treatment because you
are not convinced that these methods will be the most effective in the long
run. You want to propose all the options,
including one of your own and that is to not take medication or shock
treatment. Joining with a group of researchers, you will look into current
public policies and methods and seek to judge what would be the best possible
approach to mental illness
TASK: Using
the 6 step public policy (TIPS Public Policy Analyst)
approach found in the “PROCESS” section below, you and your team will
determine whether or not our mentally ill are given proper treatment according
to current public medical policy. After
you read each step, click onto the hyperlink (blue underlined terms) for a more
in depth explanation. Each member will present their findings.
1.
Each member will
fill out the worksheets found in each of the steps. These worksheets should be typed and will be
collected.
2.
Each member will
present his or her findings to the class for a minimum of a 3 minute
presentation. The presentation will
include the procedure and resources used.
The presentation will also include your personal opinion on whether or
not you agree with current public policy to use.
3.
As a group, you
will develop an alternative public policy to the current policies used to deal
with the mentally ill. Each group member
will contribute their expert advice in the process. Each member will evaluate the level of
participation of each member. The level
of participation will be calculated on the amount of information, advice, and
opinion provided.
4.
As a group, you
will also determine how you will present the alternative public policy to the
class. This part of the presentation
will be a minimum of 3 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes. In this part of the presentation, you will
include a 2-3 paragraph description of the alternative public policy, several
(at least 5) reasons why you think your public policy is more effective, and
why you think it is more effective than the public policy currently used in our
society.
5. Your grade will be based on the worksheets
collected, a typed report of your individual, and group presentations. All will be due by
PROCESS: 1. Each member of your group will be assigned a number that
corresponds with the step listed below.
You will click onto the hyperlink for your number and fill out the
worksheet using the Internet.
1. Identify and describe
the problem of mental illness in our society
2.
Using the internet gather evidence such as statistics, case
studies, surveys, articles by experts, etc…
à Gather the Evidence
3.
Determine the causes of the problem with the mentally ill à Determine Causes
4. Evaluate the public
policy of the mentally ill (pros and cons, good/bad policy)
5.
Do a comparative analysis of two major cities in the
6.
Develop your own policy as an alternative policy to the
current policy
2. Once all members have completed their
steps, each member will report their findings to the group and you will work as
a group to complete step #6. Using each
member’s findings your group will develop your own policy as an alternative to the
current policy.
Remember you are imagining: that a close friend or relative is
suffering emotionally. Your close friend or relative has asked for your help to
figure out what kind of treatment he/she is to receive. You research all the current treatments so
that you may provide your friend or relative with the most recent information.
You especially research the effects of drugs and shock treatment because you
are not convinced that these methods will be the most effective in the long
run. You want to propose all the
options, including one of your own and that is to not take medication or shock
treatment.
find effective.
3. If you have completed your step, assist a member of your group
so that you can complete step 6 in a timely fashion.
4. Develop a name for your new public policy.
5. Your group will
present the alternative policy to the class.
Each member will present his/her own step and as a group you will decide
how to present the alternative policy to the class.
RESOURCES: These are a sample of sources that you may use as you complete
your assignment. You are not limited to
these sources/websites. Press your Ctrl button and click to follow link.
What is Mental Illness? - NAMI
SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center
DUAL DIAGNOSIS: Treatment, Program Development for Co-Occurring ...
Mental Illness
Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) ...
Mental Health Matters: Information and resources about mental
Mental Health Matters:
Alphabetical List of Mental Health ...
Holistic, Physiological Treatment Mental
Illness
Information on Illnesses and Treatments
Mental illness
and treatment options in Washington
The History of Mental Illness and its Treatment
