Understanding Mental Health: Academic Poster and Essay Assignment

Task 1: Academic poster

Assignment brief:

Task 1: Academic poster
In small groups, research, and create an academic poster about, a mental health disorder of your choice. When finished, you will share your group’s poster via your class MS Teams page so that other students can learn about the mental health disorder your group have researched and vice versa. Be creative - your poster can include images, video clips, graphs, tables, bullet points and should contain a maximum of 500 words. Your poster should include the following information:

 

Two explanations of normality that link to your chosen mental health disorder e.g. the statistical infrequency explanation and the deviation from social norms explanation
An overview of the DSM V and ICD 10 classification systems and the signs and symptoms of your chosen mental health disorder (1.2)
A summary of two treatments or therapies that can be used to treat your chosen mental health disorder

Your group will then have an informal professional discussion with your teacher via MS Teams to talk through the key points included on your poster. You should be prepared to talk about the following ideas in detail with your teacher:
Critically discuss the explanations of normality you have included on your poster i.e. what are the problems and criticisms of these explanations? What are the problems with trying to define normal/abnormal behaviour? (1.1)
Evaluate the treatments/therapies you have included on your poster i.e. what are the strengths and weaknesses of these treatments? (2.3)

 

Task 2: Short essay (1,000 words)

Essay title: ‘Describe and evaluate biological, behaviourist and psychoanalytical explanations of mental health’

When writing an essay you should always include a clear introduction, main body, conclusion and a reference list. Use the following information to help you plan and write your essay.

 

IntroductionProvide the reader with some background information/context and outline what you intend to do in your essay. 

Main body
Provide a brief description of the biological, behaviourist and psychoanalytical approaches and how they explain atypical behaviour/mental health i.e. what are the key assumptions from each approach regarding mental health? (2.1)
Evaluate the biological, behaviourist and psychoanalytical approaches in relation to how they view and explain mental health i.e. discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each approach in detail (2.2)

 

Conclusion
Summarise your main points and form a valid conclusion based on the evidence discussed in the main body of your essay. For example, which approach do you think is most effective in explaining atypical behaviour/mental health? Why? (2.2)

Two explanations of normality that link to your chosen mental health disorder

 

Assessment Criteria for Award of Credit

Using specific examples, critically discuss the concept of normality and the difficulties that are associated with a clear concept of abnormality.

Explain the main systems for the classification of mental illness.

Describe how the biological (medical), behaviourist and psychoanalytical models are used to explain atypical behaviour.

Evaluate biological, behaviourist and psychoanalytical models of atypical behaviour.

Evaluate some of the treatments and therapies that might arise from biological (medical), behaviourist and psychoanalytical models or a combination of these.

 

Grade Descriptor: Understanding of Subject

For a Merit your work or performance must: demonstrate a very good understanding of the different perspectives or approaches associated with the area of study.

For a Distinction your work or performance must: demonstrate an excellent understanding of the different perspectives or approaches associated with the area of study.

 

Learner Guidance notes: To achieve a merit your answers should demonstrate either breadth or depth of the topic. To achieve a distinction your answers should demonstrate both breadth and depth of the topic.

 

Grade Descriptor: Application of Knowledge

For a Merit your work or performance should make use of relevant perspectives with very good levels of analysis.
For a Distinction your work or performance should make use of relevant perspectives with excellent levels of analysis. 

 

Learner Guidance notes: To achieve a merit your work must contain very good levels of analysis/evaluation with some evidence of wider reading and research. To achieve a distinction your work must contain excellent levels of analysis/evaluation and consistent evidence of wider reading and research.

Grade Descriptor: Communication and Presentation
For a Merit your work or performance must: show very good command of structure, spelling and punctuation.
For a Distinction your work or performance must: show excellent command of structure, spelling and punctuation.

 

Learner Guidance notes: To achieve a merit, your work should be structured in a way that is generally logical and fluent. To achieve a distinction, your work should be structured in a way that is consistently logical and fluent.

 

Grade Descriptor: Quality

For a Merit your work or performance must: show evidence of arguments or ideas which are generally unambiguous.

For a Distinction your work or performance must: show evidence of arguments or ideas which are consistently unambiguous and cogent.

Learner Guidance notes: To achieve a merit, arguments should be generally clear and some points should be supported with academic research. To achieve a distinction, arguments should be consistently clear and most points should be supported with academic research.

 

Assessment Criteria

Using specific examples, critically discuss the concept of normality and the difficulties that are associated with a clear concept of abnormality.

Explain the main systems for the classification of mental illness.

Describe how the biological (medical), behaviourist and psychoanalytical models are used to explain atypical behaviour.

Evaluate biological, behaviourist and psychoanalytical models of atypical behaviour.

Evaluate some of the treatments and therapies that might arise from biological (medical), behaviourist and psychoanalytical models or a combination of these.