As part of this course, students will read I’m telling the truth but I’m Lying and No One Cares About Crazy People. Students will be presented with a list of discussion topics related to the book and should prepare an 8–10-page double spaced essay, in APA style, examining ONE of the topics listed. Students must cite several sources (at least 5) from the relevant research literature to support their viewpoints and 5 from either or both class text books (ITTTBIL and NCACP).
Chapters We Read:
No One Cares About Crazy People – 4, 8-10, 12-13, 16, 20-21
I’m Telling the Truth but I’m Lying –
· Life Sentence
· Beauty in the Breakdown
· It Has a Name
· When They Come for Me
· The Hands That Held Me
· Side Effects May Include
· The Day Before
· We Don’t Wear Blues
Topics for Research Reflection:
1. The impact of early childhood experiences on the development of mental illness
2. Influence of the Biopsychosocial model on the development of schizophrenia
3. The dark history of mental institutions (include information on the treatment of patients in the past and how this has changed or not changed in present times)
4. The impact that the deinstitutionalization movement had on people with mental illnesses
5. The negative and positive impacts of gaining a diagnosis/label
6. Impact of societal stigma on those with mental illness
7. The impact that mental illness has on individuals and their families
8. The impact of mental illness stigma on the self, families and/or communities (can talk about all three or only one of the areas)
9. Medication Refusal (reluctance to take medication or periodically stopping medication)
10. Pros and cons of psychotropic drugs
11. Suicide and mental illness
