HNN782 - Recognising and Understanding Mental Illness
Unit details
| Year | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1 2026: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Kinga Pemo |
| Cohort rule: | This unit is only available to students enrolled in H568, H569, H575, H579, H645, H665, H666, H667, H668, H669, H672, H675, H679, H771, H777, H779 |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | Online independent and collaborative learning activities including 3 x 1 hour online seminars. |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
Content
This unit is designed to facilitate advanced recognition and response to altered mental states to inform nursing practice. Understanding the clinical presentation of mental illness is an important role of nurses in supporting recovery and providing psychoeducation to consumers and families. This unit will explore mental health conditions, including a comprehensive understanding of clinical presentation. The cause of mental illness is multifactorial and understood to be an interplay between biological, environmental, and individual aspects (e.g. temperament) and this unit will comprehensively explore the aetiology of major mental health conditions. In this unit, students will also develop an advanced understanding of diagnostic criteria of a range of mental health conditions, to facilitate a person-centred nursing approach. Other areas of study include a comprehensive understanding of the experiences of vulnerable populations (e.g. homeless persons, Indigenous persons) and a comprehensive exploration of high and low prevalence mental health conditions (e.g. psychotic disorders, personality disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders).
Learning outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Apply an advanced understanding of mental health conditions commensurate to a critical understanding of clinical presentation and symptomatology. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Critically analyse the impacts of mental illness on consumers whilst applying an understanding of an advanced holistic nursing approaches to psychoeducation. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Examine the impacts on vulnerable populations experiencing mental health conditions with critical consideration of illness aetiology. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
Assessment
| Assessment description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Case study analysis | 2500 words | 50% |
|
| Assessment 2: Written assignment | 2500 words | 50% |
|
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for HNN782 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.
To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.
Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.