Case Studies / Activities

Activity

Undertake some research to find out the meaning of the terms below. Some will probably be quite familiar to you, but do you have a clear definition of their meaning? Other terms will possibly be less familiar. A useful source of knowledge would be a good introductory psychiatry text – Michael Levi’s (2005) Basic Notes in Psychiatry, 4th edition might be a useful starting point. You will also find factsheets useful on sites such as, Mind – for better mental health – http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/

As a student of social work it is not necessary for you to have an in-depth knowledge of mental illness to work with people with mental health issues; however, grasp of the basic groups of conditions and some terminology can greatly assist your practice, particularly when working in interprofessional teams.

  1. Psychoses
  2. Neuroses
  3. Premorbid personality
  4. Affective disorders (and find some examples)
  5. Organic disorders (and find some examples)
  6. Neologisms
  7. Pressure of speech
  8. Insight
  9. Perseveration
  10. Echolalia
  11. Echopraxia
  12. Depersonalisation
  13. Co-morbidity
  14.  Capacity/incapacity
  15. Personality disorder