COURSE OVERVIEW:

Mental health and mental illness are not the same thing.

Mental illness is very common. One in five (20%) Australians aged 16-85 experience a mental illness in any year. Some common mental illnesses are depression, anxiety, dementia, psychosis, OCD, PTSD and substance use disorder. These types of mental illnesses often occur in combination. For example, a person with an anxiety disorder could also develop depression, or a person with depression might misuse alcohol or other drugs, in an effort to self-medicate. Of the 20% of Australians with a mental illness in any one year, 11.5% have one disorder and 8.5% have two or more disorders. Almost half (45%) Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime.

Mental health is defined by the World Health Organization as a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to their community.

Mental illness includes a range of conditions for which there are standard criteria used to diagnose them, such as depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. A mental illness significantly affects how a person feels, thinks, behaves and interacts with other people.

It’s helpful to think of mental health and mental illness as separate entities working independently. People can have good mental health but be living with a diagnosed mental illness that is being treated successfully. Or they can have poor mental health but not have a mental illness. That said, if a mental health issue like stress is intense or allowed to continue unrestrained, it can lead to a mental illness such as anxiety or depression.

Good mental health is about living life to the full potential. It’s about being socially connected and having fulfilling social relationships. Feeling good about life; setting goals and being able to make decisions.

In relation to mental illness, stigma is when someone is marked or discredited somehow, or reduced from being a whole person to being a stereotype or labelled as a collection of symptoms or a diagnosis (e.g. ‘psychotic’).

People with mental illness may face stigma — they may be viewed in a negative way, treated differently, and made to feel ashamed or worthless, as if they are somehow less than other people. Stigma can also lead to discrimination, and this in turn can make mental illness worse.

This course provides practitioners with critical knowledge and guidelines, so they may serve clients with mental health conditions, better and more confidently.

The first part of this course starts by discussing the most common mental health issues, and their respective onset, signs and symptoms. These include Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Psychosis, Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dementia. Then looks at the risk and protective factors of mental health.

The second part starts by outlining the key recommendations and guidelines for practitioners in many different areas, ranging from establishing initial contact and managing clients with panic attack, to conducting counselling session. Then discusses mental illness and stigma and provides examples of stigma. Then explains why stigma exist and how stigma affect people with mental illness. Finally, explores some ways to reduce stigma.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• What is mental health?
• What is the difference between mental health and mental illness?
• How do mental health and mental illness intersect?
• What does good mental health look like?
• What is Depression? And the types of Depression
• Who gets Depression?
• The signs and symptoms of Depression
• What is Bipolar Disorder?
• Who gets Bipolar Disorder?
• The signs and symptoms of Bipolar Disorder
• What is Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)?
• Who gets GAD?
• The signs and symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• What is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
• Who gets OCD?
• The signs and symptoms of OCD
• What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
• Who gets PTSD?
• The signs and symptoms of PTSD
• What is Psychosis?
• Who gets Psychosis?
• The signs and symptoms of Psychosis
• What is Dementia?
• Who gets Dementia?
• The early warning signs and symptoms of Dementia
• The risk factors of mental health
• The protective factors of mental health
• How to manage the initial contact with clients with mental health issues?
• How to manage clients in distress?
• How to manage clients with panic attack?
• How to manage clients feeling agitated?
• How to safely conduct home visits?
• How to handle phone enquiries?
• How to manage a caller who is experiencing hallucination and/or delusions?
• How to manage a caller who is anxious?
• How to manage a caller who is depressed?
• How to manage a caller who is angry?
• How to manage a caller who talks a lot and is difficult to be interrupted?
• How to manage a ‘nuisance’ caller?
• How to manage a repeated and regular caller?
• How to manage sex callers?
• How to conduct a counselling session?
• How to work with carers of loved ones with mental health issues ?
• Mental illness and stigma
• Why does stigma exist?
• How does stigma affect people with mental illness?
• How to reduce stigma?

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.