10619 Psychopathology

Credits: 4 intermediate credits in Psychology

Prerequisite: Introduction to Psychology

Recommended: Personality: Theory and Research

The course is based on the translation of Abnormal Psychology and Modern Life (10th ed.), by R.C. Carson, J.N. Butcher, S. Mineka (Harper Collins, 1998), including two chapters from the new edition (2010), an online study guide, and films from the video series, “The World of Abnormal Psychology” (10 films, 60 minutes each).

The course provides the student with a critical view of the field of psychopathology. It discusses issues relating to the definition and the diagnosis of normality and abnormality, the history of the field and various views of it, and specific disorders.

Topics: Abnormal behavior in our times; Historical views of abnormal behavior; Causal factors and viewpoints in abnormal psychology; Stress and adjustment disorders; Panic, anxiety, and their disorders; Mood disorders and suicide; Somatoform and dissociative disorders; Psychological factors and physical illness; Personality disorders; Sexual variants, abuse, and dysfunctions; The schizophrenias and delusional disorders; Brain disorders and other cognitive impairments; Disorders of childhood and adolescence; Clinical assessment; Biologically based therapies; Psychologically based therapies.