Roosevelt Academy Middelburg - Social Science

SSC 222 Abnormal Psychology

Content

The main goal of this course is to introduce the student to the basic concepts, issues and methods in the field of Abnormal Psychology, which is concerned mainly with the mental disorders, its descriptions and understandings, its classification and treatments. This course will address seven subject areas:

1) Historical and contemporary views of what can be considered an abnormal behavior;

2) Causal factors and view points related to mental health disorders;

3) Clinical assessment of mental health disorders;

4) Description and specification of the main mental health disorders, including: adjustment disorders; anxiety disorders; mood disorders; somatoform and dissociative disorders; eating disorders; personality disorders; addiction disorders; sexual disorders, psychotic disorders; cognitive disorders;

5) Childhood and adolescence mental health disorders;

6) Methods of treatment of mental health disorders;

7) Legal issues related to mental health disorders.

The students should also come away from this course with a better appreciation of his/her own mental health as well as the health of others, and of the understanding of the importance of examining issues related to mental health and its disorders from a bio-psycho-social perspective. The course proposes a research-oriented study of different types of maladaptive behavior and mental health disorders, such as adjustment, anxiety and mood disorders, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, personality disorders, addiction disorders, sexual disorders, psychotic disorders, and cognitive disorders, including symptoms, development, classification, diagnosis and treatment.