• King's College London logo

Integrating Care: Depression, Anxiety and Physical Illness

Understand the connection between physical and mental health, and improve your ability to identify symptoms and sources of help.

40,444 enrolled on this course

Image showing male and female figures made of cogs

Integrating Care: Depression, Anxiety and Physical Illness

40,444 enrolled on this course

  • 3 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Accreditation available

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Open level

Find out more about how to join this course

Explore the connection between depression, anxiety, and physical illness

Around one in three people have a long-term physical illness, and of these people, around one in three also struggle with mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

Symptoms such as pain, fatigue, disability, and uncertainty around treatment, can all contribute to mental health problems, which in turn can worsen physical symptoms.

On this course, you’ll learn how mental and physical health interact. You’ll look in-depth at the relationship between physical and mental illness, and improve your ability to recognise symptoms and find help.

Download video: standard or HD

Skip to 0 minutes and 9 seconds Long-term conditions like diabetes and heart disease can impact our mental health just as much as our physical health, but very often, the emotional consequences of physical illness are ignored or neglected. To help people with health problems live well, we need support and care for the whole person. We need to integrate care so that people’s mental and physical needs are treated as one. We all know people with health problems, and we all experience illness in our lifetimes. So this course is for everyone– patients, and their family and friends, health care professionals, students, anyone interested in the overlap of mental and physical health.

Skip to 0 minutes and 50 seconds The best way to understand why integrating mental and physical healthcare is so important is to hear from people living with chronic conditions day to day. We’re going to meet Zac, who as a patient and a medical student, sees the problems from both angles. Zac will lead us on our journey, interviewing clinical and academic experts to understand why and how mental and physical illness overlap. We’ll learn about the nature of depression and anxiety, and how these conditions affect people living with chronic illnesses. We’ll hear from patients who’ve had first hand experience of depression or anxiety, and unique insight into how best to support people who are struggling with the emotional impact of illness.

Skip to 1 minute and 33 seconds We’ll also follow Dave, a fictional character, as he navigates life with depression and diabetes, and interacts with colleagues and clinicians. We’ll look at how to open up conversations about emotional distress, the symptoms and signs look out for and the treatment options available. We’ll discover how depression and anxiety are managed in general, and hospital settings, and learn from the doctors, nurses and mental health professionals working to integrate care and build a better healthcare system. My name is Matthew Hotopf. I’m a psychiatrist and a professor at King’s College London, and one of the tutors on this course. Join us over the next three weeks as we discover how the mind and body interact to shape our experience of illness.

What topics will you cover?

  • Overview of the mind and body link and why it matters
  • The impact of depression and anxiety on health and quality of life
  • Approaches to integrating mental and physical healthcare
  • Communication skills to overcome barriers to talking about distress in illness
  • Challenges to identifying depression and anxiety in people with a physical illness
  • Assessment and management of suicide risk
  • Self-care techniques and sources of support for depression and anxiety
  • Treatment options, including talking therapies and medication

Who is this accredited by?

The CPD Certification Service
The CPD Certification Service:

This course has been accredited by the CPD Certification Service, which means it can be used to provide evidence of your continuing professional development.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explain the mind-body link and how mental and physical illness interact
  • Describe the key risk factors, signs and symptoms, and challenges to identifying depression and anxiety in people with a physical illness
  • Initiate conversations about mental health and deal effectively with barriers to discussing depression and anxiety
  • Demonstrate knowledge of practical coping strategies, treatment options and sources of support for people with depression/anxiety and a physical illness
  • Evaluate suicide risk and explain when and how to take action
  • Reflect on how healthcare services can provide better care for people depression/anxiety and physical illness

Who is the course for?

This course is for anyone affected by physical and mental illness, their families and carers, and those working in healthcare.

What do people say about this course?

A superbly put together course

"A superbly put together course which will be useful for healthcare professionals and lay people too. Enjoyable, easily paced, and hopefully will put much of this into practice. Thank you!"

This course has been a life changer for me

"This course has been a life changer for me, and I finally understand the mind and body link. Excellent examples and very brave honest and open people that will have helped so many people"

Who will you learn with?

I am a psychiatrist and Professor of General Hospital Psychiatry at King's College London. I work at the interface between medical illness and mental health problems.

Who developed the course?

King's College London

King’s College London, established in 1829 and a founding college of the University of London, is one of the world’s leading research and teaching universities, based in the very heart of London.

Endorsers and supporters

supported by

Health Innovation Network

Ways to learn

Buy this course

Subscribe & save

Limited access

Choose the best way to learn for you!

$109/one-off payment

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Free

Fulfill your current learning needDevelop skills to further your careerSample the course materials
Access to this courseticktick

Access expires 9 Apr 2024

Access to 1,000+ coursescrosstickcross
Learn at your own paceticktickcross
Discuss your learning in commentstickticktick
Certificate when you're eligiblePrinted and digitalDigital onlycross
Continue & Upgrade

Cancel for free anytime

Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 9 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Learner reviews

Learner reviews cannot be loaded due to your cookie settings. Please and refresh the page to view this content.

Do you know someone who'd love this course? Tell them about it...

You can use the hashtag #FLintegratingcare to talk about this course on social media.