Reality Check Slides Clinical Psychology
REALITY CHECK
"Differentiating between what we perceive and what we believe."
Warm-up: The Chair in the Dark
Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night and sworn you saw a person standing in the corner of your room...
...only to turn on the light and realize it was just a chair with a pile of clothes on it?
"Our brains are prediction machines. Sometimes, they make the wrong guess based on low-quality data."
Think of a time your senses deceived you.
The Core Concept
Psychosis
A state where you are unable to tell what is real from what is not real.
It is a symptom, not a diagnosis itself.
Hallucinations
Sensory experiences without an external stimulus. (Senses)
Delusions
Fixed, false beliefs held despite evidence to the contrary. (Beliefs)
Case Study: Demystifying Psychosis
Complete your T-Chart notes as we watch.
Embedded media
PAUSE @ 1:30
Illusion vs. Hallucination
PAUSE @ 2:50
Medical vs. Psychiatric
PAUSE @ 4:30
The Concept of Control
Types of Hallucinations
Auditory
Voices, whispers, or noises. Most common in psychiatry.
Visual
Seeing people or objects (like spiders) not there.
Olfactory
Unpleasant smells (rotten eggs, smoke). Can signal seizures.
Tactile
Feelings on skin (bugs crawling, touch). Often medical.
Gustatory
Foul tastes (metallic, feces) without eating anything.
Important: One-time misperceptions (Illusions) are not hallucinations!
Clinical Delusions
Persecutory
"Someone is out to get me or following me."
Referential
"The TV/Radio is sending secret messages specifically to me."
Grandiose
"I am incredibly powerful, famous, or have special talents."
Religious
"I am a prophet or a deity in physical form."
Somatic
"There is something physically wrong/unnatural inside my body."
Control
"My thoughts and actions are being steered by an outside force."
Diagnostician's Desk
You are now clinical consultants. Each group has 5 patient files. Use your clinical definitions to categorize each behavior accurately.
Step 1
Read the case study paragraph together.
Step 2
Identify: Is it a sensory issue (Hallucination) or a belief issue (Delusion)?
Final Debrief
Question for Discussion:
Which symptom surprised you the most?
Key Takeaway 1
Smell, taste, and touch symptoms often indicate **medical** issues (seizures, migraines).
Key Takeaway 2
You cannot "talk" someone out of a delusion. It is a biological/clinical state.
Reality Check Worksheet Reality Check
Psychology: Clinical Observations
Student:
Date:
Warm-up: The Chair in the Dark
Briefly describe a time when your senses deceived you (e.g., mistaking an object for a person, hearing a sound that wasn't there, etc.). Why did your brain "fill in the gaps" incorrectly?
Video Notes: Clinical Components
Hallucinations
SENSORY EXPERIENCES
Delusions
FIXED BELIEFS
Definition:
Types / Examples:
Definition:
Types / Examples:
Note: Distinction between "Psychiatric" (Mental Health) and "Medical" (Seizures/Medications) causes.
Diagnostician's Desk: Case Categorization
Record your group's findings for each case card below. Provide a brief rationale for your diagnosis.
CASE 01
Diagnosis Term
Rationale (Evidence from card)
CASE 02
Diagnosis Term
Rationale
CASE 03
Diagnosis Term
Rationale
CASE 04
Diagnosis Term
Rationale
CASE 05
Diagnosis Term
Rationale
Closure Prompt:
Based on today's lesson, why is it critical for doctors to distinguish between "sensory hallucinations" and "medical issues" like temporal lobe seizures?
Reality Check Case Cards Case File: 22-01
Psych Observation
"Every time I walk into the library, I hear two men whispering just behind my left shoulder. They talk about my grades and make fun of my shoes. I've turned around a dozen times, but the aisle is always completely empty. Even when the library is dead silent, the whispering continues."
Symptom Type: _____________________
Confidential Medical Record
Case File: 22-02
Psych Observation
"I haven't eaten at the school cafeteria in three weeks. I saw the kitchen staff whispering while they were looking at me. I'm 100% certain they are putting a slow-acting neurotoxin in the pepperoni pizza to make me fail my AP Psychology exam. My friends say the pizza is fine, but they're just not observant enough to notice the plot."
Symptom Type: _____________________
Confidential Medical Record
Case File: 22-03
Medical Warning
"I was just sitting in class when the most overwhelming smell of burnt rubber filled the room. It was so thick I could almost taste it. I asked my teacher if something was on fire in the chem lab, but she said she couldn't smell a thing. Five minutes later, I started feeling dizzy and my left arm began to twitch."
Symptom Type: _____________________
Confidential Medical Record
Case File: 22-04
Psych Observation
"I went to a doctor because I am convinced that a family of bats has taken up residence inside my ribcage. I can feel them flapping their wings against my lungs every time I take a deep breath. The X-rays show nothing, but I know the bats are just hiding behind my heart to stay out of the picture. I need surgery to get them out."
Symptom Type: _____________________
Confidential Medical Record
Case File: 22-05
Psych Observation
"Every time the local news anchor on Channel 4 blinks three times fast, he's telling me that I need to wear a blue shirt the next day. This morning, he wore a striped tie, which was a clear warning that I shouldn't go to the mall because it's too dangerous. No one else seems to understand these signals, but they're so obvious."
Symptom Type: _____________________
Confidential Medical Record
Reality Check Teacher Guide Teacher Guide
REALITY CHECK: PSYCHOSIS & CLINICAL SENSORY ANALYSIS
Lesson ID: PSY-RC-01
Target: Grade 10-12 Psychology
Learning Objective
Students will differentiate between hallucinations (sensory) and delusions (beliefs) and categorize specific clinical presentations using clinical terminology.
Clinical Context
This lesson moves beyond the sensationalized "madness" tropes often found in media. It focuses on the biological and cognitive mechanisms behind psychosis, emphasizing the distinction between psychiatric conditions and neurological medical emergencies (like temporal lobe seizures).
Materials Needed
Reality Check Slides
Student Worksheets
Case Study Card Sets
YouTube Access
Pacing & Facilitation
Time Activity Key Actions 5 min Warm-up The "Chair in the Dark" discussion. Use the ghost icon on the slide to prompt storytelling. 10 min Instructional Video Watch video (6 min). Students complete T-Chart. Pause at timestamps provided below. 20 min Activity "Diagnostician's Desk." Groups of 3-4 analyze 5 case study cards. 10 min Closure Review answers and debrief medical vs. psychiatric causes.
Strategic Video Pauses
1:30 - The Chair Analogy
Reinforce the concept of an Illusion . An illusion requires a real object (stimulus) that is misperceived. A hallucination has NO external stimulus.
2:50 - Medical Warning Signs
Ask: "Why might a doctor send you for an MRI if you report smelling smoke, but not if you hear voices?" (Explain: Auditory/Visual are brain-network issues; Smelling/Tasting are often physical brain trauma/electrical issues like seizures).
4:30 - Control Delusions
Prompt: "If someone believes their mind is being controlled by a puppet master, how would that affect their daily behavior? Could you argue them out of that belief?"
Answer Key: Case Studies
01
Auditory Hallucination
Rationale: The patient is perceiving sound (whispering) in the absence of an external source (empty library). It is a sensory experience, not just a belief.
02
Persecutory Delusion
Rationale: This is a "fixed false belief" that someone is out to get them (the kitchen staff poisoning the pizza). It is a thought pattern, not a sensory trick.
