Mental Health Assignment Brief

Introduction

Purpose

This assessment aims to enhance students learning related to contemporary mental health issues including reasoning, critical thinking, reflection and care planning. The essay will provide an opportunity for students to be analytical and synthesize information within the expectations of academic writing.  Students will be provided with two contemporary mental health topics with the choice of one to be submitted. The discussion is to be supported with relevant and credible references. 
Australian Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) individuals are known to experience rates of mental illness far above the national average, with suicide rates significantly higher in some communities.  Discuss the social and cultural factors that are associated with higher rates of mental illness and suicide, and identify one evidence?based strategy to address this.

OR

Refugees are known to experience high rates of mental illness whilst in detention and after settlement. Discuss the social and cultural factors that are associated with higher rates of mental illness, and identify one evidence?based strategy to address this. Formatting your Assignment Prepared by the Academic Skills Unit [2015] This tip sheet presents some basic formatting information you can use to create appropriately presented academic assignments for undergraduate courses. It is intended as a guide; any instructions provided by your lecturer or school take precedence over this information. The guidelines below have been adapted from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.), and reflect the most current APA formatting standards. · Headings can be an important organising technique for preparing and writing essays and reports. In some disciplines, headings are not used in academic essays; however, headings are a standard formatting technique for reports. If your unit outline does not specify whether headings are allowed, ask your lecturer about their requirements for the assignment you are writing. · Most assignments will not have a separate title page, unless specifically requested by your lecturer. You will often be required to submit your assignment with an official cover sheet, which will be provided by your lecturer or department, in your unit outline or on Blackboard. You may also be asked to include a marking guide for the assignment, also provided by your lecturer.

General document guidelines for APA Formatting 1. Margins: 2.54 cm on all sides (top, bottom, left, right) 2. Font size and type: 12-point serif font. Arial (used in this guide) is an example of an acceptable font. 3. Line spacing: Double-space throughout the paper. 4. Alignment: Flush left, creating uneven right margin 5. Paragraph indentation: Set a tab for 5-7 spaces (approx.75 cm) 6. Pagination: Use a header to insert page numbers in the upper right hand corner on every page of your assignment 7. Headings: Headings are used to organise the document and reflect the relative importance of sections. a. Main headings: Centred, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading (title case) b. Subheadings: Flush left, boldface, uppercase and lowercase heading (title case).

                                                                   

                                                                                                           

Quotations: When a direct quotation is used, always include the author, year, and page number (or paragraph number for non-paginated information) as part of the citation (see the Academic Skills Unit LEO or the ACU Study Guide for more referencing information). a. A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in quotation marks and incorporated into the formal structure of the sentence. b. A quotation of 40 or more words should appear (without quotation marks) set off from the surrounding text, in block format, double spaced, with each line indented five spaces from the left margin. 9. References: Start your reference list on a new page. Type the word References, centred, at the top of the page. Double-space all references. Use a hanging indent in your reference list: the first line of each entry is flush with the left margin and subsequent lines are indented. 10. On the next page is an example of the first page of a sample text formatted using these guidelines.