Class Experience

It is expected that each learner will:
- gain a critical awareness of important theories about the etiology of human psychopathology,
- learn all the major categories of mental disorders,
- learn basic elements of psychiatric diagnosis,
- understand strengths and weaknesses of diagnostic classification,
- learn basic principles and processes in the development of psychopathology, and
- gain a critical awareness of current social issues affecting people with mental illness

Week #1 - Course introduction • What is psychological abnormality? • Multidisciplinary perspectives • Prevalence of mental disorders
Week #2 - • Symptoms • Diagnosis, the DSM, and the ICD • Assessment Basics 
Learners will be able to recognize how the different categories of Psychological Disorders are diagnosed including using a differential diagnosis tree and a multiaxial classification system that is part of the History of the DSM. What does an interview look like for an individual who may have a psychological disorder present?
Week #3 - Psychological Testing and Assessment - Subjective (MMPI and Five Factors) and Projective Personality Testing (TAT, HTP, Rorschach Inkblot)
Learners will be able to recognize the different types of psychological testing that is used in evaluations including what makes a test or assessment a good tool based especially on the purpose, reliability and validity of the tests being used. 
Week #4 -• Introduction to Treatments 
Learners will discuss treatments for different mental health issues throughout history and will know how improvements have been made in areas such as psychotherapy and psychopharmacological treatments across time with specific categories of disorders. 
Week #5 - • Developmental Disorders and Disorders Common among Children
Learners will discuss Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the Autism Spectrum Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #6 - • Stress and Trauma Related Disorders
Learners will discuss Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #7 - • Anxiety Disorders • Obsessions & Compulsions
Learners will discuss Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Phobias and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #8 -• Anxiety Disorders • Obsessions & Compulsions (continued)
Learners will discuss Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Phobias and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #9 -  •Problems of mood and affect - What is a manic episode? • Major depression • Bipolar disorder
Learners will discuss Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #10 -• Dissociative Disorders 
Learners will discuss Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Amnesia, and Depersonalization/Derealization Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #11 -  • Schizophrenia and the delusional disorders 
Learners will discuss Schizophrenia and Delusional Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #12 - • Somatic symptoms and disorders
Learners will discuss Somatic Symptom Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Hypochondriasis, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #13 - Personality Disorders
Learners will discuss Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Histrionic Personality Disorder and Paranoid Personality Disorder (as well as mention of the other 5 which include Avoidant Personality Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder which is not the same as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #14 -  • Eating disorders
Learners will discuss Binge Eating Disorder, Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
Week #15 - • Dementias & Disorders of Aging
Learners will discuss Major Neurocognitive Disorder (Dementia) including diagnostic criteria, examples of current treatments, what occurs in the brain and current research in the area of these disorders. 
 
Extra Notes Provided in the Form of Hand-Outs.

Students will read handouts and will have questions to answer prior to each class. Links will be provided to internet resources. Class discussions will be didactic as I appreciate an interactive classroom. Quizzes will be given and a research paper on a topic of interest in psychopathology will be assigned. Prior experience in psychology will not be necessary. Learners can interact in the classroom during live meetings, can post messages in the classroom, and can communicate through chat messages.