Effective: 2023-05-01

Course Description

The course outline below was developed as part of a statewide standardization process.

General Course Purpose

Students will acquire a broad understanding of the etiology, epidemiology, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of major psychological diagnostic categories.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisite: PSY 200 or departmental approval.

Course Objectives

• Civic Engagement
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical implications of mental health diagnoses and treatment
• Identifying personal and collective actions that could be taken to address injustices related to stigma
• Critical Thinking
• Critically examine theoretical perspectives and research questions in this field
• Critique myths and misconceptions of psychological diagnoses
• Apply critical thinking skills to the methods used to diagnose and treat individuals with mental/behavioral disorders
• Quantitative Literacy
• Interpret and apply basic statistical information in order to support conclusions about etiology, diagnostic criteria, and treatment standards
• Scientific Literacy
• Describe and differentiate research methods used in psychopathology, explaining strengths and limitations of each
• Discuss the role of evidence-based research as it applies to diagnosis and treatment of mental/behavioral disorders
• Written Communication
• Develop, convey, and exchange ideas relevant to psychopathology through writing

Major Topics to be Included

• Abnormality
• Broadly differentiate between normal and pathological mental processes
• Evaluate various definitions and models of mental/behavioral disorders
• Historical and current models and perspectives
• Describe viewpoints, figures, and milestones in the history of psychopathology
• Explain how diagnosis and treatment have changed over time
• Compare and contrast current schools of thought relevant to psychopathology
• Research methodology
• Describe different research methods used in psychopathology and identify strengths and limitations of each
• Discuss the role of evidence-based research as it applies to diagnosis and treatment of mental/behavioral disorders
• Interpret and apply basic statistical information in order to support conclusions about etiology, diagnostic criteria, and treatment standards
• Assessment and Diagnosis
• Describe assessments used to diagnose mental/behavioral disorders
• Demonstrate an understanding of the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) through
• Describing features of the DSM
• Outlining the general timeline of the DSM's development
• Discussing strengths and limitations of the DSM
• Mental/Behavioral Disorders
• Differentiate the etiology, epidemiology, and diagnostic criteria for the continuum of mental/behavioral disorders through a diverse selection from the following DSM categories:
• Anxiety
• Mood
• OCD and related
• PTSD and stress- and trama-related
• Schizophrenia and related
• Personality
• Neurodevelopment
• Eating
• Sexual and gender identity
• Dissociative
• Somatic symptom and related disorders
• Substance-related and impulse control
• Neurocognitive
• Apply knowledge of the DSM classification system to case studies in psychopathology
• Treatment
• Distinguish the different approaches to treating mental/behavioral disorders, including psychotherapy and biological therapies
• Compare and contrast the effectiveness of different evidence-based treatments
• Ethical and legal issues
• Explain and evaluate ethical issues involved in research and treatment in the field of psychopathology
• Identify legal issues related to psychopathology
• Social, cultural, and individual context
• Demonstrate an understanding of the subjective experience of individuals with mental/behavioral disorders
• Distinguish social and cultural contexts in defining psychopathology, in the presentation of symptoms, and in the treatment of disorders