Public Mental Health Care and Social Work in Psychiatry (PUNK_025)
About Study Course
Objective
To raise awareness of public health, public mental health, promotion and prevention of mental illness, social psychiatry and the opportunities that can be provided in cases of mental disorders and illnesses. To provide knowledge about how public health promotion and prevention of mental illness can prevent the development of mental illness, as well as knowledge about the impact of the social environment on mental health, its relationship to the prevalence, occurrence, clinical manifestations and dynamics of mental disorders and social factors effects in therapy, rehabilitation and prevention
Prerequisites
• CNS structure, functions, synapse structure);
• Psychology, developmental and medical psychology (crisis response phases, psychological defense mechanisms, personality structure);
• Medical ethics (specifics of ethical issues in psychiatry);
• Epidemiology (incidence of mental and behavioral disorders, prevalence, types of research);
• Public health (risk factors, types of prevention, health promotion opportunities);
• Basics of clinical care of patients (deontology, iatrogenicity, patient interview, examination methods);
• Pharmacology (antidepressants, mood stabilizers, tranquilizers, antipsychotics);
• Basic principles of psychotherapy (help in crisis situations, support, cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, group and family therapies);
• Rehabilitation; Social care;
• Psychiatry and narcology.
Learning outcomes
Is able to explain the organization, operation, ethical and legal principles of the psychiatric care service, the role of public health and social work in psychiatry. Understands public health issues and social psychiatry. Describes how the prevention of mental illness, the promotion of mental health, how social conditions and the social environment can affect mental health, describes the relationship between public health and social conditions and the prevalence, occurrence, clinical manifestations and development of mental disorders.
As a result of the study course students will be able to identify the risk factors for the development of the client's mental health disorders, will be able to determine the most appropriate health promotion or disease prevention measure for each psychological form of mental disorders, will be able to identify social problems, support, improve and promote social functioning of the client and his family members; will be able to provide help and support to the client for the prevention of diseases and solving social problems; will be able to plan and carry out public health and social work activities at the community level; will be able to evaluate and identify the compliance of the environment with the client's needs and promote the person's interaction with the social environment by improving interpersonal support systems.
Using the acquired knowledge and competencies, students will be able to identify, define, analyze and solve society's mental health, social and mental problems, will be able to manage the problem-solving process and provide a social case. Will be able to plan, organize and manage public health, disease prevention and social work with the mentally ill individual, family, group and community. Will be able to find alternative solutions to health promotion, disease prevention and social problems and choose the appropriate strategy in cooperation with the client with mental disorders.
Study course planning
| Study programme | Study semester | Program level | Study course category | Lecturers | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Health, SVF | 7 | Bachelor’s | Required | Māris Taube, Vineta Viktorija Vinogradova, Silvija Cīpare, Kristīne Kozlova, Krista Šēniņa | |
| Social work, SD | 7 | Bachelor’s | Required | Māris Taube, Vineta Viktorija Vinogradova, Silvija Cīpare, Kristīne Kozlova, Krista Šēniņa |
