Teaching Pathographies of Mental Illness

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychiatry
• Narrative Medicine

Background:

• Medical curricula often lack patient-centered perspectives on mental illness.
• Pathographies offer valuable insights into lived experiences of mental health conditions.
• Previous course iterations focused on classic memoirs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a medical student course on pathographies of mental illness.
• To incorporate diverse narratives into the study of mental illness.
• To enhance medical students' understanding of mental illness through varied first-person accounts.

Main Methods:

• Curriculum review and revision based on student feedback.
• Integration of contemporary memoirs, particularly those by women and people of color.
• Analysis of the impact of diverse narratives on student learning.

Main Results:

• The course evolved from classic memoirs to include a wider range of voices.
• Student evaluations prompted the inclusion of more diverse pathographies.
• Diverse narratives highlight the differential impact of identity on mental illness experiences.

Conclusions:

• Medical education benefits from incorporating diverse pathographies of mental illness.
• Curriculum adaptation is crucial for reflecting varied patient experiences.
• Diverse narratives enrich the understanding of mental health and illness.