Social work and social care

Mental Health and Madness: exploring socio-cultural approaches

Module code: X5100E
Level 4
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

The ways we understand emotional distress, wellbeing, normality and insanity shape our attitudes and practices in relation to people diagnosed with a mental health difficulty. This can happen whether its framed as difference, problems of thought, a product of society and culture, or a biological mishap. This module explores the social influences that make up our understandings of madness – using this term to situate the module within social-cultural contexts.

The module will:

• discuss the history of mental health practices
• explore the emergence of user-led, alternative and radical movements seeking to transform conceptions of madness, wellbeing and care
• consider the roles of media and art in constructing images of madness deconstruct notions of diagnosis.

You learn about the effect of gender, ethnicity, culture and class on mental health and its governance within society. You also reflect on the dynamic interactions between identity, wellbeing and ill-being. Teaching draws on examples from literature, film, the press, autobiography and scholarship to relate theory to lived experiences.

Module learning outcomes

• Assess theories of mental wellbeing and ill-being and differentiate between them
• Discuss madness within historical and cultural perspectives
• Examine the value of art, literature, film and media in understanding madness
• Identify the role of gender, class, culture and ethnicity in the diagnosis and treatment of madness considering issues of power and discrimination.