Course Syllabus

Public Mental Health 

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Semester & Location:

Spring 2020 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines:

Psychology, Public Health

Faculty Member:

Brian Odlaug

Program Director:

Susana Dietrich

Time & Place:

Mondays and Thursdays, 16:25 – 17:45, V10-D14 

Faculty

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Brian Odlaug

Ph.D. (School of Public Health, Faculty & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen), M.P.H (School of Public Health, Health Administration & Policy, University of Minnesota). Medical Advisor (with H. Lundbeck A/S since 2015). Scientific Consultant (ad hoc, including University of Chicago, several private firms). Author/co-author of 4 books and over 175 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, peer-reviewer for over 40 scientific journals, and grant reviewer / invited lecturer for several countries. With DIS since 2015.

 

Course Description

In this course, we will explore the different challenges faced by those with mental health conditions compared to physical health problems. Through the use of peer-reviewed literature, policy briefs, popular media, and discussions with experts in academia and Danish Industry, you will develop the necessary competencies that will enable you to make a positive difference as future leaders promoting healthy populations. The core method of this course is group work in order to help you to develop skills in peer-reviewed literature development and review, as well as effective presentation methods, tailored to the students’ academic background or focus.

Expected Learning Outcomes

The course will explore a number of questions, including:

How does one best communicate a message in the public mental health arena? What challenges does the area of mental health face concerning research, social acceptability, and health economy? How does it differ from other public health challenges? Which disciplines are involved? How can problems be identified/addressed/disseminated?

After successful completion of this course you will be able to:

  • Describe some of the challenges associated with mental health disorders and how they can be effectively addressed from a public health perspective
  • Tailor and present information about a mental health problem to a specific audience in collaboration with colleagues.
  • Engage people from other disciplines when developing public health initiatives
  • Write a scientific research paper on a topic of interest in public mental health
  • Be able to perform peer-review of a scientific paper and effectively respond to reviews
  • Format a scientific paper based on academic journal guidelines

Above all, I want students to feel comfortable and confident in presenting/arguing for a mental health topic and have the skills to write and review academic literature. I want you to think 'outside the box' in how you develop programs or initiatives to improve mental health within the population. It is not sufficient to approach 'doing' public health from a mono-centric focus within a public health office. One needs to understand how different disciplines engage the public and how knowledge of those disciplines can help one to change population health for the better. To this end, we will discuss how architects, neuroscientists, and public affairs officials (to name a few) approach population health. I also want students to further develop their skills in working in teams to develop and present information. It is rare that a young professional has the opportunity to work alone on a project, especially in academic publishing. The ability to collaborate effectively with others is essential.

Approach to Teaching
The course will consist of group work, interactive lectures, theme-based discussions, field studies, short writing assignments, and student presentations.

Expectations of the students
The texts and the information presented in class will provide the necessary structure for you to meet course objectives. The schedule lists reading materials for each class meeting. While this is not a text-heavy course, you should read the assigned material before the class for which it is assigned. A portion of this course will include discussion and classroom activities. You are expected to be prepared for each class by having read and thought about the material before coming to class. By reading the material beforehand, you will better understand the points made in the lecture, you will be best prepared for discussion, and you will be able to ask thoughtful and productive questions. To establish a positive learning environment, it is important that everyone is present, engaged, and actively participates. Please plan on staying for the full class time and take care of bathroom visits (and such) before class or during breaks. Of course, you can leave if it is an emergency.

Evaluation and Grading

The class will involve a number of different projects, each of which aims to increase your competencies to address mental health concerns within a written and oral context. The factors influencing the final grade and the proportional importance of each factor is shown below:

Component Weight
Participation and Engagement 15%
“Weekly” assignments (5 x 3% each) 15%
Symposium preparation and presentation 25%
Final Project

    First draft of paper (10%)

    Peer-review completed (10%)

    Revised final paper submitted with cover letter (20%)

    Final paper presentation to the class (5%)

45%

 

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, you must complete all of the assigned work. Below you can read more about the assigned work.

Participation and engagement (15%)

Engagement and contribution to the class is critical for both individual and class success. To prepare for each day, you are thus required to attend all classes, read all assigned material, and thoughtfully consider preparation questions. In class, you are expected to contribute value-added knowledge and insights, actively participate in class discussion, engage with outside speakers, and ask good questions.

Classes include lectures, demonstrations, guest speakers, student presentations, debates, and videos.  Attendance is required. You should come to class prepared to ask/answer questions, offer opinions, offer different viewpoints, draw on materials from other classes etc. I also expect you to come prepared to class and have done the required readings and homework. In short, I expect you to take an active role in your own learning.

Weekly assignments (15%)

Several weeks throughout the semester, students will be asked to upload facts/topics they found to be the most interesting and any questions they had from that weeks’ readings or lectures. These assignments provide another chance to reflect on the lectures for the week and also to see what your classmates found interesting. Each posting should be between 50 to 100 words. Assignments are to be submitted on the course website no later than 5pm each Saturday following the Monday/Thursday course week. Submissions later than 5pm will be docked by 1% with no submissions accepted later than 5pm Sunday. No exceptions. There will be a total of five postings, each of which will be worth 3% of the final grade (total of 18%). I strongly encourage you to mark the dates of these assignments in your respective calendars as all students should see these as freebie points!

Symposium (25%)

A key component to this class is learning how to engage different stakeholders in order to best convey your message. For this assignment, you will be split into groups of four to five people who will develop a presentation on a topic of your choice pertaining to public mental health. For example, you could be a patient rights/advocacy organization with a mission of promoting better mental health for Danish citizens. We will discuss and pick scenarios in class. In order to achieve your mission, you have requested an audience with (for example) the Danish Health Minister; the National Federation of General Practitioners; or the European Public Health Association. Your designated audience has generously accepted your offer. You are to develop a 15-20(max!!) minute presentation addressing a topic of your choosing surrounding mental health from a public health perspective. Presentations will be followed by a ~10 minute discussion session moderated by your group. The audience will be expected to engage in the discussion. You can present your information using slides (i.e., Power Point), a combination of handouts, slides, and speaking etc. – however you feel best gets your message across.  How you wish to present is entirely your choice! 

Final Project (45%)

A central learning component of this class is to understand how to write an article in collaboration with co-authors for a peer-reviewed journal and be able to act as a peer-reviewer for academic journals. To those ends, you will work in groups (your co-authors) to research and write a short paper on a topic of your choice relating to public mental health and ‘submit’ that paper for peer-review. You will be graded on both the content of the paper as well as your groups’ ability to abide by the formatting guidelines for the specified mock-journal that you will be 'submitting' the paper to. We will develop topics in class and form groups based on the topic you wish to write about. You will also review a paper written by a group of your classmates (anonymous) and provide them with structured critiques of their work, just as you would expect to receive if you were to submit a paper to a peer-reviewed academic journal. 

  • Turn in a draft very short paper (5-7 pages) in accordance with journal (“The European Journal of Public Health”) guidelines for formatting.
  • Papers will be ‘sent out’ for peer-review. This peer review will include the instructor ('Editor' who will review all papers) and several of your class colleagues. Each group will receive the same paper for review, but each member of the group will provide his/her own individual review of the paper.
  • Reviewers will provide comments to the paper and send back to the 'Editor' within the allotted time frame
  • 'Editor' will compile the comments and send back to the authors
  • Authors will address each reviewer comment in a structured ‘Response to Reviewers’ cover letter and submit it, along with a revised manuscript, back to the 'Editor' for review.
  • The paper will then be reviewed by the 'Editor' and ‘accepted’ or ‘rejected’ for publication.
  • Your group will present the research that you did to the class. You should strive to present your paper in approximately 10 minutes.

 

Field Studies

We plan on having two field studies during the semester. We will be visiting relevant institutions working with public mental health in a variety of different ways. For this class, field studies will (likely) consist of a visit to H. Lundbeck A/S (Industry) and a walking or biking tour of various neighborhoods in Copenhagen to learn how other professions address public health challenges. Other opportunities for site visits may arise throughout the course and so the places which the course will visit may change accordingly. Further information on which specific institution we will be visiting will be provided as the dates approach. Unless otherwise stated, we will meet at the field study venue at the time given. You can find the directions on www.krak.dkwww.rejseplanen.dk, or get a map of the general Copenhagen area at the DIS reception. Please note that the field studies are part of the course and that there can be exam questions on what has been taught during these field trips. Please remember to be on time and note that active participation is encouraged and expected during the field studies.

 

Policies

Policy on late assignments: Late assignments will be accepted, but your grade for the paper will be reduced by a grade point for each day that it is late (A- will be B+, then B, etc.). Papers more than five days late will not be accepted.

Use of laptops or phones in class: You may use your laptop for note‐taking or fact‐checking. Usage not related to the class or our subject is unacceptable. We will rely on your integrity and your respect for our objectives. If you are using your laptop for reasons not related to class, your class participation grade will be reduced significantly and you will be asked not to bring your laptop. Phones may not be used in class, regardless of function. Phones should be placed in silent mode when arriving for class and students should refrain from having them out during class unless you have a specific reason that has been discussed with the faculty ahead of time. 

Office Hours: The instructor has no set office hours, but you may contact them or the program assistant, to schedule an appointment or ask questions.

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

DIS Contacts

Kathrine Whitman, Program Assistant,  kwh@dis.dk
Louise Bagger Iversen , Assistant Program Director, lbi@dis.dk 
Susana Dietrich, Science & Health Program Director
Science & Health Office: Vestergade 7-37

Required Readings

  1. Anderson P, Baumberg B. Alcohol in Europe: A public health perspective. London: Institute of Alcohol Studies; 2006.
  2. Commonwealth Fund. International profiles of health care systems, 2012. Thomson S, Osborn R, Squires D, Jun M (eds.). November 2012. Available at http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Fund%20Report/2012/Nov/1645_Squires_intl_profiles_hlt_care_systems_2012.pdf
  3. Fiorillo A,Luciano M, Del Vecchio V, Sampogna G, Obradors-Tarragó C, Maj M; ROAMER Consortium. Priorities for mental health research in Europe: A survey among national stakeholders' associations within theROAMER project. World Psychiatry 2013;12(2):165-70.
  4. Grant JE. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. NEJM 2014;371:646-53.
  5. Lange P. How to write a scientific paper for a peer-reviewed journal. In: Publishing addiction science: A guide for the perplexed, 2nd Babor TF, Stenius K, Savva S, O’Reilly J (eds.). Essex, UK: World Health Organization & International Society of Addiction Journal Editors; 2008, pp. 70-81.
  6. National Institute of Mental Health. Neuroimaging and mental illness: A window into the brain. NIH publication 10-7460, US DHHS, 2010.
  7. Nature Publishing Group. Authors and referees. MacMillan Publishers Limited; 2015. Available at http://www.nature.com/authors/policies/publication.html
  8. Nicholas KA, Gordon W. A quick guide to writing a solid peer review. EOS 2011;92(28):233-40.
  9. OECD (2013), Mental Health and Work: Denmark, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264188631-en
  10. Rosier J. What has neuroscience ever done for us? The Psychologist 2015 Apr;28(4):284-7.
  11. Royal College of Psychiatrists. No health without public mental health. Position statement PS4/2010.
  12. Schreiber L, Odlaug BL, Grant JE. Impulse control disorders: updated review of clinical characteristics and pharmacological management. Front Psychiatry 2011;2:1.
  13. Schultz SH, North SW, Shields CG. Schizophrenia: a review. Am Fam Physician 2007;75(12):1821-9.
  14. Thomas F. The role of natural environments within women’s everyday health and wellbeing in Copenhagen, Denmark. Health Place 2015 Sep;35:187-95.
  15. Thygesen LC,Daasnes C, Thaulow I, Brønnum-Hansen H. Introduction to Danish (nationwide) registers on health and social issues: structure, access, legislation, and archiving. Scand J Public Health 2011;39(7 Suppl):12-6.
  16. Williams How to reply to referees' comments when submitting manuscripts for publication. J Am Acad Dermatol 2004;51(1):79-83.

If interested (not required reading!) in a book about impulse control disorders written primarily for patients/family members, please see:

  • Grant JE, Odlaug BL, Chamberlain SR. Why can’t I stop: Reclaiming your life from a behavioral addiction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press; 2016. Available from Amazon and other outlets.

  

Course Summary:

Date Details Due