Course Syllabus

Public Mental Health

Faculty

Bethany Chamberlain

My academic background is in psychology and research methodology (MSc from University of Strathclyde, BA from Bemidji State University). I have varied work experience including researcher, research assistant, teacher, tutor, etc. More recently I worked on a PhD project relating to the decision-making processes of machine learning researchers but withdrew and am now considering other research proposals relating to mental health, interdisciplinarity, technology in education, and more. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to live, work, and study in the USA, China, Sweden, and Scotland, but I am currently (and happily!) settled in Denmark with my husband and four cats. When I'm not busy with research, teaching, or traveling, you'll find me cooking, baking, reading (and leading a monthly book club), writing, or playing board/card/video games. I've been with DIS since 2021 working in the Science & Health department (course: Public Mental Health) and Psychology department (variety of courses). I have also recently been digging into AI tools like ChatGPT with DIS' Learning Lab to understand how it can be used responsibly and beneficially by faculty and students alike.

Syllabus Disclaimer

Course Description

Expected Learning Outcomes

The course will explore various 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, students should leave this class feeling comfortable and confident when discussing various mental health topics, whether formally by writing a journal article or informally by chatting with peers in class. Further, students will be equipped to think flexibly and creatively when it comes to developing programs or initiatives to improve mental health within the population. Finally, students will be given ample opportunity to develop teamwork skills, essential for any young professional but especially in academic settings.

Approach to Teaching

Expectations of Students

Evaluation and Grading

The class will involve different assignments, 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:

Participation and Engagement

You will be ineligible for an "A" in Participation/Engagement if you miss one of these events: field study 1, field study 2, end of semester DIS festival

You will be ineligible for an "A" or "B" in Participation/Engagement if you miss two of these events: field study 1, field study 2, end of semester DIS festival

You will be ineligible for an "A" or "B" or "C" in Participation/Engagement if you miss all three of these events: field study 1, field study 2, end of semester DIS festival

15%

White Paper Project

Misc. tasks
Literature review
First draft
Peer reviews
Final draft
Presentation (mock + final)
Teamwork assessment

- 50 pts
- 20 pts
- 20 pts
- 100 pts
- 100 pts
- 100 pts
- 10 pts

Participation and Engagement (15%)

Engagement/contribution to the class is critical for individual and class success. Students are required to attend all classes, read all assigned material, and thoughtfully consider preparation questions before each class. Classes will include lectures, workshops, guest speakers, student presentations, videos, etcetera. In each class, you are expected to engage in some meaningful way: ask/answer questions, share personal opinions and insights, actively participate in class discussions, engage with outside speakers, offer different viewpoints, draw on material from other classes, etcetera. In short, students are expected to take an active role in their own learning.

Reflection Assignments (15%)

There will be a mid-term (1000~ words) and end-term (1500~ words) reflection assignment. These assignments should include personal and academic reflections but can be written in whatever style the student prefers. Citations to readings/slides from this course or other courses the student is taking should be included.

Project - White Paper (40%)

A key component to this class is learning how to engage different stakeholders (i.e., audiences) to best convey your message and propose solutions to problems. To that end, you will develop a white paper addressing a specific audience on a topic of your choice pertaining to public mental health. We will brainstorm together as a class the different stakeholders and topics one might want to address. This project will span the entirety of the semester and will include multiple checkpoints (e.g., drafts, peer review). Some assignments will be graded individually, while others will be assigned as a group. Your grade for the final draft will be assigned individually to account for your group grade and peer evaluations.

What is a white paper?

• Simply put, a white paper is a piece of persuasive writing that provides a current review of what is known about a particular topic with the goal of identifying a problem and evidenced-based solution.

How does a white paper differ from a traditional term paper?

• A white paper explicitly addresses a specific problem that is faced by a specific audience, whereas a term paper provides a general overview of topic. A white paper should have an accessible rather than dry academic tone. The format should reinforce the “audience-friendly” tone by including images, figures, and headings.

How is a white paper the same as a traditional term paper?

• Whether you are writing a term paper or a white paper, everything you assert still needs to be connected to the scholarly literature (via APA-style citations and a reference list).

Why a white paper?

• When you graduate, no one will ask you to write a term paper, however, it is likely that you will be asked to read some specialized literature and then write a report that “translates” that specialized literature in a way that a non-expert can understand and that makes clear how to use that information to solve a specific problem.

Components of this assignment:

• White paper
  • Minimum of 10 full pages (double-spaced, not including references, tables, etc.)
  • Maximum of 25 full pages (double-spaced, not including references, tables, etc.)
  • APA-style formatting
  • Minimum of 15 references (more than half must be from peer-reviewed journal articles)
  • Use provided outline
• Presentation
  • In-class poster presentation during an informal mock symposium (all posters will be displayed in the classroom and there will be refreshments as everyone mingles)
  • Poster presentations can last anywhere from 2 minutes (e.g., an "elevator pitch") to 10 minutes depending on your audience; each student will have a chance to explain their project to multiple students within a set time limit
• Audience feedback
  • During/immediately after presentations, all students will be asked to provide comments/feedback and turn those in

Field Studies

The field studies planned for the Fall 2023 semester are:

Urban Mental Health

• Touring a housing complex designed by a renowned architectural firm and discussing how city design can impact our mental health
• Visiting a public therapy garden (tentative)
• Visiting a "meditation path" and hearing from a municipality worker (tentative)

Alternative Therapies

• Taking part in a sound bathing practice and discussing how public institutions can reach different people + think outside the box when it comes to budget limitations

Policies

Policy on late assignments:

Unless otherwise stated, the following is used for grading late assignments:

• If you turn in a late assignment within one (1) week, your grade will be reduced by 15%
  
  • For example, if you would have gotten 100%, you would now get 85%
• If you turn in a late assignment within two (2) weeks, your grade will be reduced by 30%
  
  • For example, if you would have gotten 100%, you would now get 70%
• If you turn in a late assignment by the end of the semester, your grade will be reduced by 50%
  
  • For example, if you would have gotten 100%, you would now get 50%
    

Use of laptops or phones in class:

Laptops are only to be used for appropriate class-related activities and should not be used in any way that will distract your peers. Phones and smart-watches should not be used in class. Phones should be placed in silent mode when arriving for class and students should not have them out during class unless you have a specific reason that has been discussed with the instructor ahead of time. If your use of technology is due to an official or unofficial accommodation you require to succeed in class, please let me know at the beginning of the semester and/or reach out to the appropriate contact at DIS (care@dis.dk).

Office hours:

I will be available for meetings before and after class on Mondays. Please send me a message through Canvas to schedule a meeting (incl. preferred day, time, topic, and if relevant whatever file you want me to review before the meeting). With regard to scheduling meetings, plan ahead! In my opinion, it's always better to schedule a meeting you think you might need and cancel it later if you find you're progressing without issue.

Student organization and documentation:

Academic Regulations

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

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

AI Tools

Although AI tools are valuable, they should support human creativity and critical thinking, not replace them. Therefore, the use of AI tools like ChatGPT is permitted within defined contexts if you include proper attribution. Usage outside of the predefined contexts and without attribution will be considered a breach of our Academic Honesty Policy. Detailed instructions will be provided during the course.

Readings

Please always check the relevant information for lectures and assignments to confirm which articles are required or recommended, as well as if you need to read an entire paper or only certain pages/sections.

Educational material for this course is primarily drawn from up-to-date peer-reviewed literature, but also from book excerpts, government websites, blogs, podcasts, and videos. An indicative reading list is below and all educational materials can be accessed through Canvas unless otherwise stated.

Introduction

• Bouras, N., Davey, S., Power, T., Rolfe, J., Craig, T., & Thornicroft, G. (2018). Maudsley International: Improving mental health and well-being around the world. BJPsych International, 15, 49–51.
• Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2010). No health without public mental health [White Paper]. London.
• Sadock, B. J., Ahmad, S., & Sadock, V. A. (2019). Kaplan & Sadock’s pocket handbook of clinical psychiatry (Sixth edition). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.
• Saxena, S. (Ed.). (2004). Mental health promotion: Case studies from countries. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Research Skills

• Fiorillo, A., Luciano, M., Del Vecchio, V., Sampogna, G., Obradors-Tarragó, C., Maj, M., & on behalf of the ROAMER Consortium. (2013). Priorities for mental health research in Europe: A survey among national stakeholders’ associations within the ROAMER project. World Psychiatry, 12, 165–170.
• Nicholas, K. A., & Gordon, W. S. (2011). A quick guide to writing a solid peer review. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 92, 233–234.
• Olson, K., & Meyersburg, C. A. (2008). A Brief Guide to Writing the Psychology Paper. Harvard College.
• Subramanyam, R. (2013). Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, 17, 65.
• Zhang, W. (2014). Ten Simple Rules for Writing Research Papers. PLoS Computational Biology, 10, e1003453.

Urban Mental Health

• Antonelli, M., Barbieri, G., & Donelli, D. (2019). Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Biometeorology, 63, 1117–1134.
• Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., de Vries, S., Flanders, J., … Daily, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science Advances, 5, eaax0903.
• Cheung, M., Smith, N., & Craven, O. (2022). The Impacts of Public Art on Cities, Places and People’s Lives. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 52, 37–50.
• City of Copenhagen. (2015). Urban Nature in Copenhagen [City Development Proposal]. Copenhagen: The Technical and Environmental Administration.
• Jones, R., Tarter, R., & Ross, A. M. (2021). Greenspace Interventions, Stress and Cortisol: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 2802.
• Koohsari, M. J., Badland, H., Mavoa, S., Villanueva, K., Francis, J., Hooper, P., … Giles-Corti, B. (2018). Are public open space attributes associated with walking and depression? Cities, 74, 119–125.
• Lederbogen, F., Kirsch, P., Haddad, L., Streit, F., Tost, H., Schuch, P., … Meyer-Lindenberg, A. (2011). City living and urban upbringing affect neural social stress processing in humans. Nature, 474, 498–501.
• Orstad, S. L., Szuhany, K., Tamura, K., Thorpe, L. E., & Jay, M. (2020). Park Proximity and Use for Physical Activity among Urban Residents: Associations with Mental Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 4885.
• Pearson, A. L., Clevenger, K. A., Horton, T. H., Gardiner, J. C., Asana, V., Dougherty, B. V., & Pfeiffer, K. A. (2021). Feelings of safety during daytime walking: Associations with mental health, physical activity and cardiometabolic health in high vacancy, low-income neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. International Journal of Health Geographics, 20, 19.
• Soga, M., Evans, M. J., Tsuchiya, K., & Fukano, Y. (2021). A room with a green view: The importance of nearby nature for mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Ecological Applications, 31.
• Thomas, F. (2015). The role of natural environments within women’s everyday health and wellbeing in Copenhagen, Denmark. Health & Place, 35, 187–195.

Global Events

• Arendt, F., Markiewitz, A., Mestas, M., & Scherr, S. (2020). COVID-19 pandemic, government responses, and public mental health: Investigating consequences through crisis hotline calls in two countries. Social Science & Medicine, 265, 113532.
• Clotworthy, A., Dissing, A. S., Nguyen, T.-L., Jensen, A. K., Andersen, T. O., Bilsteen, J. F., … Hulvej Rod, N. (2021). ‘Standing together – at a distance’: Documenting changes in mental-health indicators in Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 49, 79–87.
• Di Carlo, F., Sociali, A., Picutti, E., Pettorruso, M., Vellante, F., Verrastro, V., … di Giannantonio, M. (2021). Telepsychiatry and other cutting‐edge technologies in COVID‐19 pandemic: Bridging the distance in mental health assistance. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 75, ijcp.13716.
• Ganguly, C., Nayak, S., & Gupta, A. K. (2022). Mental health impact of COVID-19 and machine learning applications in combating mental disorders: A review. In Jain Shikha, Pandey Kavita, Jain Princi, & Seng Kah Phooi, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Mental Health in Pandemics: A Computational Approach. San Diego: Elsevier Science & Technology.
• Hossain, M. M., Tasnim, S., Sultana, A., Faizah, F., Mazumder, H., Zou, L., … Ma, P. (2020). Epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19: A review. F1000Research, 9, 636.
• Mendes-Santos, C. (2020). Mitigating COVID-19 Impact on the Portuguese Population Mental Health: The Opportunity That Lies in Digital Mental Health. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 8.
• North, C. S. (2016). Disaster Mental Health Epidemiology: Methodological Review and Interpretation of Research Findings. Psychiatry, 79, 130–146.
• Soga, M., Evans, M. J., Tsuchiya, K., & Fukano, Y. (2021). A room with a green view: The importance of nearby nature for mental health during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Ecological Applications, 31.
• Spiritus-Beerden, E., Verelst, A., Devlieger, I., Langer Primdahl, N., Botelho Guedes, F., Chiarenza, A., … Derluyn, I. (2021). Mental Health of Refugees and Migrants during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Experienced Discrimination and Daily Stressors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 6354.

Depression and Anxiety

• Koohsari, M. J., Badland, H., Mavoa, S., Villanueva, K., Francis, J., Hooper, P., … Giles-Corti, B. (2018). Are public open space attributes associated with walking and depression? Cities, 74, 119–125.
• Radden, J. (2016). Mental health, public health and depression, a bioethical perspective. Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, 2, 197–204.
• Westerlund, A., Ivarsson, A., & Richter-Sundberg, L. (2021). Evidence-based practice in child and adolescent mental health services – The challenge of implementing national guidelines for treatment of depression and anxiety. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 35, 476–484.

Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

• Anderson, P., & Baumberg, B. (2008). Alcohol in europe: A public health perspective, a report for the European commission. London: Institute of alcohol studies.
• Bloomfield, K., Gustafsson, J., Karlsson, N., Kettunen, T., Rehn-Mendoza, N., & von Wright, J. (2016). The Ripple Effect of Alcohol – Consequences Beyond the Drinker. Nordic Centre for Welfare and Social Issues.
• Darvesh, N. (2020). Exploring the prevalence of gaming disorder and Internet gaming disorder: A rapid scoping review. 10.
• Ledberg, A., & Reitan, T. (2022). Increased Risk of Death Immediately After Discharge from Compulsory Care for Substance Abuse. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 236, 109492.

Danish Systems and Research

• Erlangsen, A., & Fedyszyn, I. (2015). Danish nationwide registers for public health and health-related research. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 43, 333–339.
• Sahl Andersen, J., De Fine Olivarius, N., & Krasnik, A. (2011). The Danish National Health Service Register. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 39, 34–37.
• Santini, Z. I., Ekholm, O., Koyanagi, A., Stewart-Brown, S., Meilstrup, C., Nielsen, L., … Thygesen, L. C. (2022). Higher levels of mental wellbeing predict lower risk of common mental disorders in the Danish general population. Mental Health & Prevention, 26, 200233.
• Thomas, F. (2015). The role of natural environments within women’s everyday health and wellbeing in Copenhagen, Denmark. Health & Place, 35, 187–195.

Alternative Therapies

• Antonelli, M., Barbieri, G., & Donelli, D. (2019). Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Biometeorology, 63, 1117–1134.
• Batistatou, A., Vandeville, F., & Delevoye-Turrell, Y. N. (2022). Virtual Reality to Evaluate the Impact of Colorful Interventions and Nature Elements on Spontaneous Walking, Gaze, and Emotion. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 3.
• Baumeister, D., Barnes, G., Giaroli, G., & Tracy, D. (2014). Classical hallucinogens as antidepressants? A review of pharmacodynamics and putative clinical roles. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 4, 156–169.
• Chanda, M. L., & Levitin, D. J. (2013). The neurochemistry of music. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17, 179–193.
• Cheung, M., Smith, N., & Craven, O. (2022). The Impacts of Public Art on Cities, Places and People’s Lives. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 52, 37–50.
• Di Forti, M., Quattrone, D., Freeman, T. P., Tripoli, G., Gayer-Anderson, C., Quigley, H., … van der Ven, E. (2019). The contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorder across Europe (EU-GEI): A multicentre case-control study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6, 427–436.
• Goldsby, T. L., Goldsby, M. E., McWalters, M., & Mills, P. J. (2017). Effects of Singing Bowl Sound Meditation on Mood, Tension, and Well-being: An Observational Study. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 22, 401–406.
• Jones, R., Tarter, R., & Ross, A. M. (2021). Greenspace Interventions, Stress and Cortisol: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 2802.
• Marcus, D. M. (n.d.). Alternative therapies in academic medical centers compromise evidence-based patient care. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 130, 1549–1551.
• Orstad, S. L., Szuhany, K., Tamura, K., Thorpe, L. E., & Jay, M. (2020). Park Proximity and Use for Physical Activity among Urban Residents: Associations with Mental Health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 4885.
• Ries, J. (n.d.). What’s The Deal With Sound Baths And Do They Actually Work? 1.
• Shanahan, D., Astell–Burt, T., Barber, E., Brymer, E., Cox, D., Dean, J., … Gaston, K. (2019). Nature–Based Interventions for Improving Health and Wellbeing: The Purpose, the People and the Outcomes. Sports, 7, 141.
• Thoma, M. V., La Marca, R., Brönnimann, R., Finkel, L., Ehlert, U., & Nater, U. M. (2013). The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response. PLoS ONE, 8, e70156.
• Vorobyeva, N., & Kozlova, A. A. (2022). Three Naturally-Occurring Psychedelics and Their Significance in the Treatment of Mental Health Disorders. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13.
• Watts, R., & Luoma, J. B. (2020). The use of the psychological flexibility model to support psychedelic assisted therapy. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 92–102.
• Wei, M. (n.d.). The Healing Power of Sound as Meditation. 1.

Schizophrenia Spectrum and Psychotic Disorders

• Browne, J., Mueser, K. T., & Pratt, S. I. (2020). Social skills training for persons with schizophrenia. In D. W. Nangle, C. A. Erdley, & R. A. Schwartz-Mette (Eds.), Social Skills Across the Life Span (pp. 329–342). Academic Press.
• Di Forti, M., Quattrone, D., Freeman, T. P., Tripoli, G., Gayer-Anderson, C., Quigley, H., … van der Ven, E. (2019). The contribution of cannabis use to variation in the incidence of psychotic disorder across Europe (EU-GEI): A multicentre case-control study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 6, 427–436.
• Fonseca-Pedrero, E., Ortuño-Sierra, J., Inchausti, F., Rodríguez-Testal, J. F., & Debbané, M. (2020). Beyond Clinical High-Risk State for Psychosis: The Network Structure of Multidimensional Psychosis Liability in Adolescents. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 967.
• Holder, S. D., & Wayhs, A. (2014). Schizophrenia. American Family Physician, 90, 775–782.
• Saraceno, B., Levav, I., & Kohn, R. (2005). The public mental health significance of research on socio-economic factors in schizophrenia and major depression. World Psychiatry, 5.

Neurodivergence

• Cooper, R., Cooper, K., Russell, A. J., & Smith, L. G. E. (2021). “I’m Proud to be a Little Bit Different”: The Effects of Autistic Individuals’ Perceptions of Autism and Autism Social Identity on Their Collective Self-esteem. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 704–714.
• Graf, W. D., Miller, G., Epstein, L. G., & Rapin, I. (2017). The autism “epidemic”: Ethical, legal, and social issues in a developmental spectrum disorder. Neurology, 88, 1371–1380.
• Milone, A., & Sesso, G. (2022). Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Symptoms, Evaluation and Treatment. Brain Sciences, 12, 225.
• Pisano, S., Muratori, P., Gorga, C., Levantini, V., Iuliano, R., Catone, G., … Masi, G. (2017). Conduct disorders and psychopathy in children and adolescents: Aetiology, clinical presentation and treatment strategies of callous-unemotional traits. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 43, 84.
• Schreiber, L., Odlaug, B. L., & Grant, J. E. (2011). Impulse Control Disorders: Updated Review of Clinical Characteristics and Pharmacological Management. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2.
• Seghatol-Eslami, V. C., Maximo, J. O., Ammons, C. J., Libero, L. E., & Kana, R. K. (2020). Hyperconnectivity of social brain networks in autism during action-intention judgment. Neuropsychologia, 137, 107303.

Developmental Psychopathology and Epidemiology

• Hossain, M. M., Tasnim, S., Sultana, A., Faizah, F., Mazumder, H., Zou, L., … Ma, P. (2020). Epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19: A review. F1000Research, 9, 636.
• North, C. S. (2016). Disaster Mental Health Epidemiology: Methodological Review and Interpretation of Research Findings. Psychiatry, 79, 130–146.
• Ohlsson, H., & Kendler, K. S. (2020). Applying Causal Inference Methods in Psychiatric Epidemiology: A Review. JAMA Psychiatry, 77, 637.
• Pisano, S., Muratori, P., Gorga, C., Levantini, V., Iuliano, R., Catone, G., … Masi, G. (2017). Conduct disorders and psychopathy in children and adolescents: Aetiology, clinical presentation and treatment strategies of callous-unemotional traits. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 43, 84.
• Schultze-Lutter, F., Schmidt, S. J., & Theodoridou, A. (2018). Psychopathology—A Precision Tool in Need of Re-sharpening. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 446.
• Toyokawa, S., Uddin, M., Koenen, K. C., & Galea, S. (2012). How does the social environment ‘get into the mind’? Epigenetics at the intersection of social and psychiatric epidemiology. Social Science & Medicine, 74, 67–74.