Description
Prerequisite: PUH 345
This course is designed to help students think critically about the identification and treatment of mental illness in the United States. Students will explore current public health research and programming surrounding the definition, prevention, and treatment of mental illness. Central to this approach is the understanding that mental illness and its diagnosis is culturally situated. Navajo concept of mental health and healing will be integral to student understandings of all of the aspects of mental health introduced in this course. This course will also explore how our beliefs about mental illness and the mentally ill have influenced our approaches to policy, systems, services, and treatment. Special attention will be paid to mental health issues and treatment options among American Indian and Alaska Native populations and especially to those issues affecting the Navajo Nation.