SW 555 Social Work Perspectives on Mental Health Disorders

Explores the major mental health disorders from an understanding of the biological, psychological, social and cultural determinants of mental illness. Emphasis is given to the changing roles of social workers who work with people diagnosed with a mental illness. Topics include ethics of diagnosing, history and theories of mental illness, overview of classification systems including a review of six major DSM-IV diagnostic categories, biopsychosocial model of assessment which includes diagnostic interviewing, accessing evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions, and applying practice evaluation methods to EBP strategies.