Abnormal Psychology

Spring 2000

 

Instructor: Mike Campbell

Time and Place: M 4-6 and W 4-5, PMC 223

Office Hours: TBA

Phone: 2-4254

E-mail: mcampbell@ncf.edu

 

Texts:

 

    Carson, R.C., Butcher, J.N., & Mineka, S. (2000). Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life. (11th Ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon.  This text has a companion website at www.abacon.com/carson/.

 

    Castillo, R.J. (1998). Meanings of Madness. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

 

Optional:

 

    American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (4th Ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

 

Course Description:

This course is designed for advanced psychology students with interest in the applied fields. We’ll cover historical and current conceptualizations of mental illness, including etiological considerations, classification systems, and treatment approaches. We’ll spend considerable time exploring the clinical presentation of the major DSM-IV diagnoses, but the course also covers common problems that may not meet diagnostic criteria. The readings and other course material present biological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives. Prerequisites include a minimum of three core psychology courses beyond Introductory Psychology and permission of the instructor.

 

Basis for Evaluation:

  1. Midterm

  2. Final

  3. A +/- 20 pp. research paper. This is an opportunity to acquire greater depth of knowledge in an area of interest to you. You pick, but talk to me first, since I may be able to suggest useful resources. You’ll present (informally) your research to the class.

  4. Class participation

 

Other Housekeeping:

Any student with special needs as a consequence of disability should consult Mark Blaweiss to report your needs and obtain appropriate documentation. Feel free to discuss your needs with me in private as well.

 

 

Schedule of Readings (tentative):

 

Week 1 Historical Perspectives

    Carson 1-2

    Fabrega (1989). Cultural relativism and mental illness. (in Castillo, pp. 7-17)

 

Week 2 Etiology and Prevention

    Carson 3

    Carson pp. 685-696

    Film: The Madness of King George (tentative)

 

Week 3 Anxiety Disorders

    Carson 5

    Kirmayer, L.J., Young, A., & Hayton, B.C. (1995). The cultural context of anxiety disorders. (in Castillo, pp. 168-178)

 

Week 4 Mood Disorders

    Carson 6

    Jamison, K.R. (1995). Manic-Depressive Illness and creativity. Scientific American, 272, 62-67.

 

Week 5 Stress Reactions: Situational Stress, Adjustment Disorders, and PTSD

    Carson 4

    Boehnlein, J.K. & Kinzie, J.D. (1995). Refugee trauma. (in Castillo, pp. 179-190)

 

Week 6 Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders

    Carson 7

    Lewis-Fernandez, R. (1992). The proposed DSM-IV Trance and Possession Disorder category: Potential benefits and risks (in Castillo, pp. 234-240).

 

Week 7 Substance-Related and Eating Disorders

    Carson 8, 10

    Abrams, K.K., Allen, L. & Gray, J.J. (1993). Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, psychological adjustment, and ethnic identity. (in Castillo, pp. 138-144)

 

MID-TERM (in class and take-home components)

 

Week 8 SPRING BREAK

 

Week 9 Psychosis

    Carson 12

    Scheper-Hughes, N. (1987). "Mental" in "Southie:" Individual, family and community responses to psychosis in South Boston. (in Castillo, pp. 248-260)

 

Week 10 Personality Disorders

    Carson 9

    Peters, L.G. (1994). Rites of passage and the borderline syndrome. (in Castillo, pp. 94-107)

    Film: The Talented Mr. Ripley

 

Week 11 Disorders of Childhood and Cognitive Impairment

    Carson 13, 14

 

Week 12 Paraphilias and Gender Identity

    Carson 11

    Film: Crumb

 

Weeks 13-14 Treatment: Psychotherapy, Counseling, and Pharmacological Interventions

    Carson 15-17

    Consumer’s Union (1995). Mental health: Does therapy help? Consumer Reports (November 1995), 734-739.

    Kopta, S.M., Howard, K.I., Lowry, J.L., & Beutler, L.E. (1994). Patterns of symptomatic recovery in psychotherapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62(5), 1009-1016.

 

PAPERS DUE AT END OF WEEK 13

 

Week 15 Ethics and Legal Issues

    Carson pp. 697-718

    American Psychological Association (1992). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 47(12), 1597-1611.

 

FINAL DURING EXAM WEEK

 

 

 

 

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