A Collision of Two Worlds

By Robert W. Grossman

Abstract

This case uses an excerpt from the novel I Never Promised You a Rose Garden to teach students to recognize symptoms of mental illness. Students read the excerpt and then work in small groups of two to three to identify and label symptoms of mental illness. Emphasis is placed on supporting the students' classifications with direct quotes from the text. This focuses the students' attention on the importance of supporting inferences with evidence. While designed for undergraduates in an abnormal psychology course, the case also could be used in more advanced clinical courses.

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Date Posted

05/27/2008

Overview

Objectives

Teach students the basic vocabulary of symptom identification.
Introduce students to the organizational framework of the Mental Status Exam (MSE).

Keywords

Abnormal psychology; mental disorder; mental illness: schizophrenia; mental status exam; diagnosis; perception; consciousness; hallucinations; delusions; application learning; transference

Subject Headings

Psychology

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

Undergraduate lower division, Undergraduate upper division, Graduate, Clinical education, Continuing education

FORMAT

PDF

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

LANGUAGE

English

TYPE/METHODS

Discussion

Teaching Notes & Answer Key

Teaching Notes

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Answer Key

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