Outline

Overview

This unit of study critically examines the development, diagnosis, and treatment of key mental health conditions across the lifespan, from children through to adults. Beginning with an exploration of how mental health conditions are classified and diagnosed, this unit will then discuss what is known about the causes, prevalence and treatments of each of the main psychological disorders, including: anxiety disorders (e.g. generalised anxiety disorder); obsessive compulsive and related disorders; trauma- and stress-related disorders; depressive disorders; eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating); addictive behaviours (drug, alcohol, gambling); psychotic disorders; personality disorders; sexual dysfunctions; ADHD and conduct disorder. The ultimate goal of the unit is to improve awareness and knowledge of mental health conditions, to explore the challenges faced by those living with mental health conditions such as stigma, and to understand the evolving nature of this core psychological discipline.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PSYC3018
Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	(PSYC2010 or PSYC2910 or PSYC2011 or PSYC2911 or PSYC2015 or PSYC2915)
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	(PSYC2014 or PSYC2017)
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ilona Juraskova, ilona.juraskova@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Mitchell Cunningham, mitchell.cunningham@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final Exam See Canvas for details.	40%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflective Summaries See Canvas for details.	10%	Ongoing Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 26 May 2023	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz 1 See Canvas for details.	5%	Week 05	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay See Canvas for details.	35%	Week 07 Due date: 06 Apr 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 05 May 2023	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz 2 See Canvas for details.	5%	Week 08	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Quiz 3 See Canvas for details.	5%	Week 13	See Canvas for details.
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Quizzes: If you miss any of the Quizzes, you may apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a reweighting of the Quiz you missed. If you do not complete any of the Quizzes and are not awarded Special Consideration for them, you will just receive 0 for the Quiz you missed.
Essay: If you do not attempt the Essay by the closing date, you may apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a replacement assessment. If you do not attempt the Essay by the closing date and are not awarded Special Consideration, you will just receive 0 for the Essay.
Reflective Summaries: If you miss any of the Reflective Summaries, you may apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a reweighting of the Reflective Summary you missed. If you do not complete any of the Reflective Summaries and are not awarded Special Consideration for them, you will just receive 0 for the Reflective Summary you missed.
Final Exam: If you do not attempt the Final Exam, you will need to apply for Special Consideration, from which the only outcome is a replacement exam. If you do not attempt the Final Exam and are not awarded Special Consisderation, you will receive an Absent Fail (AF) grade for this unit, as the Final Exam is a compulsory assessment.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the unit material and can solve routine problems and/or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the unit material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Intro to Mental disorders and DSM; 2. Anxiety Disorders I	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	1. Anxiety Disorders II; 2. Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Introduction to Mental disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	1. Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders; 2. Depressive Disorders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Anxiety	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	1. Bipolar and Related Disorders; 2. Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Bipolar disorder	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	1. Child internalising disorders: Anxiety; 2. Child Internalising disorders: Depression	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Psychosis	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	1. Child Developmental psychopathology, ADHD and ASD; 2. Child externalising disorders: Conduct disorder	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Child internalising disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	1. Child externalising disorders: Treatment; 2. Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	1. Eating Disorders: Bulimia Nervosa; 2. Eating Disorders: Binge Eating Disorder	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Child externalising disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	1. No lecture - Anzac Day; 2. Body Dysmorphic Disorder;	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	1. Substance-related and Addictive Disorders 2. Behavioural addictions I: Definition & conceptual issues	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Eating disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	1. Behavioural addictions II: Gambling & gaming disorders; 2. Personality Disorders I	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Gambling addiction	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	1. Personality Disorders II; 2. Sexual Dysfunctions	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Personality disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	1. Critiques of DSM; 2. Health psychology	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Feedback	Tutorial (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Reading List tab on Canvas. Information about textbooks and reading materials will be provided on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand core concepts in abnormal psychology in their historical and philosophical contexts
LO2. identify the core diagnostic features of specific psychological disorders and differentiate these from normal behaviours, as well as from the features of other disorders
LO3. compare and contrast theoretical perspectives on the nature, causes, and maintenance of psychological disorders
LO4. seek, identify and critically examine empirical evidence concerning the causes, maintenance and treatment of psychological disorders.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Additional information

“Supplementary materials” (e.g., podcasts, videos) will be posted on Canvas for further learning related to each lecture topic. These materials are not examinable, and are purely to deepen student learning and interest in the subject matter.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PSYC3018: Mental Health Conditions

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect