Poster on Mental Health and Wellness
Create a poster debunking a myth about a mental health disorder. Communicate persuasively and succinctly to a general audience.
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Introduction
Biology is intertwined with our mental health. Heredity and environment interact to produce psychological disorders. Treatment options also reflect both environmental and biological interventions—a therapy might address environmental triggers and maladaptive cognitions while a medication might affect your brain's chemistry. Consider how one's brain might help or hinder them in a moment of mental crisis.
Combating low quality information with scientific evidence is a challenge faced by most human services professionals. Posters can be used to provide easy-to-digest facts in a visually appealing way, as an aid to challenging flawed information. For this assessment, you'll create a poster based on one of the following false facts:
- Bad parenting causes psychological disorders. Focus on anxiety disorders or schizophrenia.
- Depression is caused by personal weakness. Focus on major depressive disorder or bipolar disorders.
- Electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) is cruel or barbaric. Focus on major depressive disorder or bipolar disorders.
- Another myth of your choice about one of the psychological disorders.
Overview
Combating low quality information with scientific evidence is a challenge faced by most human services professionals. Posters can be used to provide easy-to-digest facts in a visually appealing way, as an aid to challenging flawed information. The objective of this assessment is to communicate persuasively and succinctly to a general audience. Create a poster debunking a myth about a mental health disorder.
Preparation
Choose one of the following myths:
- Bad parenting causes psychological disorders. Focus on anxiety disorders or schizophrenia.
- Depression is caused by personal weakness. Focus on major depressive disorder or bipolar disorders.
- Electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) is cruel or barbaric. Focus on major depressive disorder or bipolar disorders.
- Or choose another myth you know about one of the psychological disorders.
Find one flawed source of information on the internet. To find a flawed source, look for one with a substantial number of errors.
- Read what the textbook says about the myth.
- Use the myth you chose and use it as your search word/phrase.
- If you don't see a flawed source on the first page of results, skip to the 3rd page of results or further.
- Look for sources that are not accurate based on the information in your textbook.
- Tips for finding flawed sources:
- Scroll through your social media feeds.
- Scroll through your results and look for sources that are not:
- .gov websites.
- News or press websites.
In the Capella library, find one peer-reviewed journal article about the mental health disorder.
For help finding flawed sources and peer-reviewed articles for this assessment, you may want to complete the library instruction activity
Instructions
Create a poster using one of the following templates:
- Poster Template: Portrait [PPTX].
- Portrait Template: Landscape [PPTX].
Include the following in your poster:
- Identify the chosen myth about mental health or a specific disorder. (Can be the title of the poster.)
- Identify the flawed source of information related to the myth. (Can be a web link or reference in the footer.)
- Describe the psychological disorder, including the key symptoms. (20–40 words, bullet points are recommended.)
- Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological health. (20–40 words.)
- Describe the mechanism and/or actions in the brain that lead to the symptoms of the disorder.
- Explain the research you found regarding the disorder. (20–40 words.)
- Brief mention of findings and the population the results can be generalized to.
- Explain the actions of a medication used to treat the psychological disorder.
- Describe the biological details of how it works.
Use visual elements that support the main points.
Note: Your final poster must be in a PDF format. Convert your poster into a PDF before submission.
Submission Requirements
- Format: Submit your poster as a PDF file.
- Written communication: Written communication is in professional style with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
- Resources: Use a minimum of three sources: your flawed source, a textbook, and one peer-reviewed journal article
- APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to APA style and formatting.
- Refer to Academic Writer for guidance in using proper APA style. See the Evidence and APA section of the Writing Center for instructions on accessing and using Academic Writer.
- Length: One page.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
- Competency 1: Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological and physical health.
- Describe a psychological disorder and the effects of a medication used to treat the psychological disorder.
- Relate the actions of the mind and body to psychological health.
- Competency 4: Expose flawed sources of information.
- Identify a flawed source of information related to a myth.
- Explain peer-reviewed evidence.
- Competency 5: Write for purpose in a well organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
- Incorporate visuals that support the overall message.
- Use citations and references.
- Address assignment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
- In Essential Biological Psychology, read the following:
- Read Chapter 11, “Psychological and Degenerative Disorders,” pages 251–273.
- In Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience, read the following:
- Read Chapter 14, “Psychopathology.”
- Read Chapter 15, “Treatment.”
- In Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience, read the following:
- Read Chapter 2, “Psychological Research.”
Use the resources linked below to help complete this assessment.
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Mental Health and the Brain
Mental Health and the Brain
In this chapter, you will learn how heredity and environment interact to produce psychological disorders.
Research Methods
In this chapter, you will be introduced to biopsychology research techniques, and you will explore why biopsychology creates ethical concerns. When conducting research in the field of psychology, and specifically biopsychology, it is imperative that researchers adhere to ethical guidelines and protect participants.
Academic Research and Writing
APA Style
You can consult the Learn tab of Academic Writer and find the Basic Paper Setup quick guide in the Page Formatting section. This will help you with the mechanics of setting up an APA style paper.
You can consult the Learn tab of Academic Writer and find the Heading Levels quick guide in the Page Formatting section. This will help you with how to use headings in an APA style paper.
In your reading list, read about how to set APA Headings.
Scholarly Sources
Psychologists rely on scholarly sources to find information that is both credible and aimed at providing the highest quality of information. This can be more than the peer-reviewed sources you’ve been asked to focus on in other courses. Read What Is Scholarly? to learn more.
Scholarly sources can be challenging to read. Please review the following to learn tips and tricks for Reading Scholarly Articles. Once you are comfortable reading scholarly sources, the following source will help you to see several different ways to be an effective note taker:
Using the Library
The database guides below will help you gain proficiency in researching library resources.
You can consult the library guide Links to the Full Text on how to find full text for an article if there is not a PDF or HTML full text link.