Abstract
Key threshold concepts that allow students to develop a person-centred approach to care include the ability to see the patient as a person, as well as recognition of the impact of stereotypes and biases on personal actions. These concepts can become particularly challenging when they are applied to behaviours or ideas that conflict with societal norms, in particular in relation to mental illness. Ethical mental healthcare therefore requires the practitioner to move beyond fear, personal prejudice and misunderstanding of people living with mental illness. Traditional teaching strategies can emphasise theory while limiting students’ scope for deeper personal reflection, exploration and questioning of world views. This chapter discusses novel teaching strategies to explore these concepts in relation to mental illness, using two stories from Star Trek.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. ‘Mental Health Services in Brief 2014.’ Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014.
Bole, C. ‘Meld,’ Star Trek : Voyager, season 2, episode 16, screened 5 February 1996. United States of America: United Paramount Network, 1996.
Chalmers, C. ‘Ethics,’ Star Trek : The Next Generation, season 5, episode 16, screened 29 February 1992. United States of America: Paramount Pictures, 1992.
Conway, J.L. ‘Death Wish,’ Star Trek : Voyager, Season 2, Episode 18, screened 19 February 1996. United States of America: United Paramount Network, 1996.
Corrigan, P.W., S.B. Morris, P.J. Michaels, J.D. Rafacz and N. Rüsch. ‘Challenging the Public Stigma of Mental Illness: A Meta-Analysis of Outcome Studies.’ Psychiatric Services 63, no. 10 (2012): 963–73.
Edney, D.R. ‘Mass Media and Mental Illness: A Literature Review.’ Ontario: Canadian Mental Health Association, 2004.
Groopman, J. How Doctors Think. New York: Mariner Books, 2008.
Hughes, J.J. and J.D. Lantos. ‘Medical Ethics through the Star Trek Lens.’ Literature and Medicine 20 no. 1 (2001): 26–38.
Lauber, C., C. Nordt, C. Braunschweig and W. Rossler. ‘Do Mental Health Professionals Stigmatize Their Patients?’ Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 113, no. 429 (2006): 51–9.
Meyer, J.H.F. and R. Land. Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge. Oxford: Routledge, 2006.
Meyer, J.H.F., R. Land and C. Baillie. Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2010.
Morrison, E.E. and B. Furlong, eds. Health Care Ethics: Critical Issues for the 21st Century. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2014.
Murray, C.J.L., T. Vos, R. Lozano, M. Naghavi, A.D. Flaxman, C. Michaud et al. ‘Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) for 291 Diseases and Injuries in 21 Regions, 1990–2010: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010.’ The Lancet 380, no. 9859 (2012): 2197–223.
Pietikäinen, P. Madness: A History. Oxford: Routledge, 2015.
Schomerus, G., C. Schwahn, A. Holzinger, P.W. Corrigan, H.J. Grabe, M.G. Carta et al. ‘Evolution of Public Attitudes About Mental Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.’ Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 125, no. 6 (2012): 440–52.
Smedley, B.D., A.Y. Stith and A.R. Nelson, eds. Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2003.
Star Trek Database. Accessed 28 June 2016. Available at: http://www.startrek.com/database.
Tanner, B. ‘Threshold Concepts in Practice Education: Perceptions of Practice Educators.’ British Journal of Occupational Therapy 74, no. 9 (2011): 427–34.
Acknowledgements
Star Trek is a trade mark of CBS Studios Inc.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pretorius, L., Ford, A. (2017). Mind-Melds and Other Tricky Business: Teaching Threshold Concepts in Mental Health Preservice Training. In: Kendal, E., Diug, B. (eds) Teaching Medicine and Medical Ethics Using Popular Culture. Palgrave Studies in Science and Popular Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65451-5_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65451-5_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-65450-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-65451-5
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)