PS254: Abnormal Psychology Spring 2015 Prof. Erin Sheets Department of Psychology, Colby College

Transcription

1 PS254: Abnormal Psychology Spring 2015 Prof. Erin Sheets Department of Psychology, Colby College Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-2:15 Location: Davis 301 Course website: (PS254 Abnormal Psychology) Office Phone: Office: Davis 336 Office Hours: Mondays, 5:00-6:00 and Thursdays, 2:15-4:00 This course provides an overview of the classification, treatment, and academic study of abnormal behavior. We will explore the diagnostic symptoms, etiology, and clinical intervention strategies of various forms of psychopathology. The course is not intended as an exhaustive survey of all mental disorders. We lack the time, and likely the stamina, to complete that task. Thus, the course will focus on the major classes of disorders and treatment approaches that have created a core of understanding within clinical psychology. Learning Objectives Identify the diagnostic features of DSM-5 psychological disorders Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific status of particular clinical interventions Describe cognitive-behavioral techniques used in treating psychological disorders Recognize the assessment methods commonly used by clinical psychologists Understand the research methods used to advance the science of clinical psychology Develop cogent, testable hypotheses applicable to clinical research Appreciate the ethical issues associated with clinical research and treatment Expand empathy for the impact of psychopathology on patients and those around them Course Structure Class sessions will include lecture, video presentations, discussions, and in-class activities. Case studies will be used as a primary learning tool throughout the semester. The success of this course is dependent on you completing the readings before the relevant class and participating in classroom discussions. I hope that you will not hesitate to ask me questions in class and will offer your opinions during class discussions. Abnormal Psychology 1

2 Course Readings Required Textbook Kring, A. M., Johnson, S. L., Davison, G. C., & Neale, J. M. (2015). Abnormal psychology (13 th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Required Casebook Oltmanns, T. F., Martin, M. T., Neale, J. M., & Davison, G. C. (2015). Case studies in abnormal psychology (10 th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Select 1 of these 6 memoirs to complete the memoir assignment Bell, J. (2007). Rewind, replay, repeat: A memoir of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Center City, MN: Hazelden. Memoir about obsessive-compulsive disorder de Rossi, P. (2010). Unbearable lightness: A story of loss and gain. New York: Atria Books. Memoir about anorexia Jamison, K. R. (1995). An unquiet mind. New York: Vintage Books. Memoir about bipolar disorder, written by a psychologist Karr, M. (2009). Lit: A memoir. New York: Harper Perennial. Memoir about alcoholism Saks, E. R. (2007). The center cannot hold: My journey through madness. New York: Hachette. Memoir about schizophrenia Smith, D. (2012). Monkey mind: A memoir of anxiety. New York: Simon & Schuster. Memoir about anxiety The textbook and casebook are available in the Colby Bookstore. The memoirs can be purchased online, and will be available in Reserves in the library. Selected readings will also be distributed via Moodle. The course readings are important for full understanding of the course material. The class sessions are intended to expand on text material rather than solely restating the text. Therefore, you are responsible for the content of the assigned readings on exams, including portions not covered in lecture. Evaluation Active Participation Class participation, which includes attendance, questions asked, and participation in the class discussions, will be worth 50 points (10% of the final grade). Exams There will be 3 equally-weighted exams in the course: two given during the semester (March 5 and April 14) and one during the scheduled Final Exam period (May 14, 9:00AM). Each exam will be worth 100 points (20% of the final grade). The exams cover material from the text, casebook, and lectures. These exams will not be cumulative; they will only cover content since the last exam. However, you should be aware that there are Abnormal Psychology 2

3 topics, such as particular treatment models, that will be discussed throughout the semester and therefore may appear on multiple exams. The class sessions are intended to expand on text material rather than solely restating the text. Therefore, you are responsible for the content of the assigned readings on exams, including portions not covered in lecture. Writing Assignments Training in clinical psychology balances two complementary goals: becoming a researcher and becoming a clinician. Accordingly, you will complete 2 written assignments, one focused on a specific line of clinical research and one focused on the life of an individual coping with a psychological disorder. Each written assignment will be worth 75 points (15% of the final grade). The assignments are briefly described below. Detailed descriptions of the assignments will be provided later in the semester. Research Assignment In this assignment, you will complete a brief literature review, but you will focus on the work of one researcher and one research topic. The paper will be 4-6 pages, doublespaced and must be written in APA style. The goals of this assignment are (1) to read primary literature in clinical psychology, (2) to gain further experience writing concise summaries of empirical work, (3) to integrate research findings and identify new directions, and (4) to become familiar with the programmatic nature of clinical psychology research. You will identify 3 articles written by the same researcher and published in peerreviewed clinical psychology journals. You will summarize each study, integrate the findings by identifying their general contribution, and then propose the next empirical question that should be addressed in this line of research. I will provide a list of possible authors but you are free to choose other clinical psychology researchers. The researcher, topic, and 3 articles must be approved by March 10. The research assignment is due March 19. Memoir Assignment Throughout the semester we will use case studies to understand how diagnostic symptoms in the textbook present in real people. This assignment provides an opportunity to do this on a larger scale by reading and responding to a memoir written by an individual coping with a psychological disorder. The goals of this assignment are (1) to recognize specific symptoms of a clinical disorder, (2) to identify the potential cause(s) of the disorder, (3) to describe a cognitive-behavioral treatment plan for this individual, and (4) to expand your empathy for the difficulties associated with the disorder. After reading one of the six memoirs listed above, you will write a 5-6 page, double-spaced case report on the diagnostic symptoms, potential causes, and treatment of the author s psychological disorder. This assignment is due May 7. Extra Credit You will have the opportunity to earn up to 6 points of extra credit by earning 3 credits on Experimetrix. Each full Experimetrix credit that you earn will give you 2 extra credit points in this class; one extra credit point is equal to one point on an exam or paper. You may participate in studies up to the last day of classes, May 8. At the end of the semester, you Abnormal Psychology 3

4 must manually assign Experimetrix credit to PS254 in order to receive course credit for your participation. Evaluation Summary 10% (50 points) Class Participation 20% (100 points) Exam 1 20% (100 points) Exam 2 20% (100 points) Exam 3 15% (75 points) Research Assignment 15% (75 points) Memoir Assignment TOTAL = 500 points Course Schedule Date Topic Reading Feb. 5 Introduction Feb. 10 Defining Abnormal Behavior Textbook, Ch. 1, pp. 1-8, Feb. 12 Diagnosis and Assessment Textbook, Ch. 3 Textbook, Ch. 6, pp , , & 196 Feb. 17 Approaches to Treatment Textbook, Ch. 2, pp Feb. 19 Panic Disorder Textbook, Ch. 6 Casebook, Ch. 7 Feb. 24 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Textbook, Ch. 7, pp Casebook, Ch. 8 Feb. 26 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Textbook, Ch. 7, pp Casebook, Ch. 10 March 3 Clinical Research Methods Textbook, Ch. 4, pp & March 5 Exam 1 March 10 March 12 Alcohol Use Disorder Research Topic Due NO CLASS PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE Textbook, Ch. 10 Casebook, Ch. 19 March 17 Substance Use Disorders Textbook, Ch. 10 Vitkus, Opioid Dependence Case (Moodle) March 19 March 24 Major Depressive Disorder Research Assignment Due NO CLASS SPRING BREAK Textbook, Ch. 5 Casebook, Ch. 6 Abnormal Psychology 4

5 March 26 NO CLASS SPRING BREAK March 31 Bipolar Disorder Textbook, Ch. 5 Casebook, Ch. 5 April 2 Schizophrenia Textbook, Ch. 9 Casebook, Ch. 3 April 7 Professional Ethics Textbook, Ch. 16, pp April 9 NO CLASS PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE April 14 Exam 2 April 16 Dissociative Identity Disorder Textbook, Ch. 8, pp Casebook, Ch. 11 April 21 Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa Textbook, Ch. 11 Casebook, Ch. 14 April 23 Anorexia Nervosa Textbook, Ch. 11 Casebook, Ch. 13 April 28 Personality Disorders Textbook, Ch. 15 Casebook, Ch. 21 Friday, May 1 Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder Textbook, Ch. 13, pp Textbook, Ch. 15, pp Oltmanns et al., Antisocial Personality Disorder Case (Moodle) May 5 Autism Spectrum Disorder Textbook, Ch. 13, pp Casebook, Ch. 1 May 7 Couple Therapy Textbook, Ch. 2, pg. 58 May 14, 9:00AM Memoir Assignment Due Exam 3 Course Policies Academic Honesty The department abides by the following college policy as stated in the Colby College Catalogue: Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious offenses. For the first offense, the instructor may dismiss the offender from the course with a mark of F and will also report the case to the department chair and the dean of students, who may impose other or additional penalties, including suspension or expulsion.... A second offense automatically leads to suspension or expulsion. If you have questions about how to cite others work or any other aspects of academic honesty, please do not hesitate to speak with me. It is always better to ask a question about academic honesty than to make a bad decision. Abnormal Psychology 5

6 Attendance Students are expected to attend all class meetings. You should review the syllabus carefully at the beginning of the semester to determine whether you will have any scheduling conflicts, and discuss them with the professor well in advance. Classroom Behavior It is expected that you will arrive on time for all class meetings. It is expected that you will have cell phones turned off and that you will not text or read texts during class. I strongly discourage you from bringing a computer to class. It is distracting for those around you, for me, and due to Wi-Fi, is often extremely distracting for you. It is expected that you will interact with fellow students and the instructor in an open-minded, respectful manner. Please be sensitive to the fact that we know, based on statistics, that students in this class may themselves have experienced a psychological disorder that we discuss or may have a close friend or relative with one of these disorders. Similarly, although your personal experiences with psychological disorders may seem relevant to the class discussion, I ask that you refrain from personal disclosure. Personal disclosure often makes others uncomfortable when it occurs in groups outside the treatment setting, such as a class. Before ing me, please check if your question can be answered by the syllabus or the course website. I will do my best to answer your within 24 hours of when it was received. Late Assignments This course follows the psychology department s general policy on late assignments: Students should treat deadlines as firm. Only documented medical excuses, documented personal catastrophes (such as a death in the family), and religious observances will be accepted as reasons not to take an exam or turn in an assignment as scheduled. If you are, for legitimate reasons, unable to take an exam or turn in an assignment when it is scheduled, you should notify the professor in advance of the exam time or due date. Having a lot of work to do, several exams/papers in a few days, being generally unprepared, or having conflicting travel arrangements are not acceptable excuses to miss an exam or assignment due date. Religious Observances Practitioners of a religious tradition requiring time apart from the demands of the normal work schedule on a particular day (or days) should contact the professor in advance to make arrangements for academic events that conflict with a religious observance. Support for Students with Disabilities and Learning Differences If you have a disability or learning difference for which an academic accommodation is needed, please contact the professor to discuss this as soon as possible. Abnormal Psychology 6