On Wednesday 1 June 2022, the Year 12 Psychology students were offered the opportunity to visit the historical Z-Ward in Glenside, Adelaide. For almost 90 years, the Z-Ward was home to ‘criminally insane’ patients who sat on the overlapping edges of criminality and mental illness. The tour looked at attitudes held about mental health in the 19th century and how they changed by the time the Z-Ward closed in the 1970s. It also interpreted the building and gave information about some of the people who worked and resided there.
Inaqui, Year 12 Student
This excursion was very timely, as it connected to all the learning from Term 2 in Psychology so far, including the Psychological Health and Wellbeing unit, and the Science as a Human Endeavour task where students explored the interaction between psychological science and society.
Students have also been exploring the stigma and ethical considerations around treatment types and so experiencing the Z-Ward helped consolidate the historical contexts, resources, as well as the content over the past few weeks in psychology.








