PSYC 225 - Abnormal Psychology 3 Credit: (3 lecture, 0 lab, 0 clinical) 3 Contact Hours: [PSYC 120 ]
This course examines issues related to abnormal psychology. Topics covered include the historical and current views of mental disorders, clinical research methodology, assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders, theoretical perspectives, specific mental disorders, their symptoms, suspected causal factors, and most effective treatment approaches, and interactions between the mental health and the law.
Semesters Offered: fall semesters
Course Goals/ Objectives/ Competencies:
Goal 1: Demonstrate familiarity with the history of abnormal psychology, clinical research, models used to explain abnormal behavior, and techniques used for assessment and diagnosis.
- Summarize historical views and treatments of mental disorders.
- Describe clinical research methodologies.
- Identify different models used to explain mental disorders.
- Explain assessment and diagnostic techniques.
Goal 2: Demonstrate an understanding of anxiety, stress, somatoform, and dissociative disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of major anxiety disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of anxiety disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of stress and trauma-based disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of stress and trauma-based disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of somatic disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of somatic disorders.
Goal 3: Demonstrate an understanding of mood disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of major mood disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of mood disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of major eating disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of eating disorders.
- Identify the effects of main drug categories and primary symptoms of substance disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of substance disorders.
Goal 4: Demonstrate an understanding of sexual disorders, schizophrenia, and aging and cognition disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of major sexual disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments for sexual disorders.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of schizophrenia.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of schizophrenia.
- Recognize the primary symptoms of aging and cognition disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of aging and cognition disorders.
Goal 5: Demonstrate an understanding of personality disorders, childhood disorders, and the legal, ethical, and social issues surrounding mental disorders.
- Recognize primary symptoms of personality disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of personality disorders.
- Recognize primary symptoms of major childhood disorders.
- Describe proposed causal factors and current treatments of childhood disorders.
- Articulate the history and current views of the insanity defense.
- Identify key ethical and legal issues related to the practice of clinical psychology.
Goal 6: Apply knowledge of mental disorders to real life settings.
- Illustrate knowledge of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria for diagnosing a mental disorder.
- Demonstrate awareness of social perceptions of individuals with mental disorders.
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