1
PERSPECTIVES ON PROBLEMS IN LIVING
(Psychology 381: Abnormal Psychology)
Term 1, Fall 2004
Carol Zerbe Enns, Ph. D.
Office: Law Hall 106D
e-mail:
Office phone: 895-4351
Home phone: 895-6605
Class Times:
Class will meet between the hours of 9-11 A.M. on a daily basis and 1-3 P.M. on 3 or 4 days per week. See the class schedule for more detail. There are several exceptions to this pattern:
Field trip: Sept. 9(Thursday) from 8-2.
Guest speaker: Sept. 17 (Friday) from 12:10 to 1:45.
Course Overview and Goals:
The purpose of this course is to explore a wide variety of problems in living that range from stress-related concerns and situational crises to the more severe forms of psychosis that involve loss of touch with reality and/or the threat of severe harm to oneself and/or others. The course will provide a description of major "syndromes" and "disorders," theoretical perspectives on their development, methods of psychological treatment, and how culture, history, and social institutions influence the nature and treatment of human crises. This course will also focus on the socially construction of psychological distress as well as issues of justice and discrimination in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals. A feminist analysis of gender issues as well as the examination of the ways in which ethnicity, class, and minority status influence psychological diagnosis and treatment will be important components of the course. The assumptions underlying this course are that human distress is normal and that human adjustment and mental health should be represented along a broad and flexible continuum. Rather than exaggerating the differences between "normal" and "abnormal" behavior, this course will examine the diverse and complex variations of coping and survival behaviors, and promote an empathic orientation to human distress.
Text and Readings:
Durand, V. Mark, & Barlow, David H. (2003). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth—Thomson Learning.
Companion website available at (click on “abnormal psychology” and the “student book companion site” icons.)
Jamison, Kay Redfield. (1995). An Unquiet Mind. New York: Knopf.
Schiller, Lori, & Bennett, Amanda. (1994). The Quiet Room. New York: Warner Books.
Selected articles and books on reserve
Course Requirements and Due Dates:
A. Regular attendance
B. Active class participation
C. Tests: Wednesday, September 8 & Wednesday, September 22
D. Brief reaction papers (one-day writing assignments)
E. Focused research review: Multiple due dates. Final due date: Saturday, September 18
Short Directed Papers:
The short directed papers consist of overnight assignments that will require approximately one-page responses related to the topic of study for a specific day.
Research Review and Proposal:
Length: 8-12 pages
Topic and abstracts due: Saturday, September 4
Annotated bibliography: Saturday, September 11
Due date for final paper: Saturday, September 18
Class presentations: Monday and Tuesday, September 20-21
Your major paper for this class will be a research proposal. You will review the findings of research on a specific topic, and use this information to create a proposal for a project that would extend this research in a new direction or with a new population. Research proposals should be approximately 8-12 double-spaced pages in length, and include at least 6 references. At least 4 sources must describe original research on the subject. For more information, refer to the research proposal guide.
Make-up Exams and Late Papers:
Occasionally students become ill immediately before an exam or the due date of a paper. Make-up exams may be allowed or due dates for papers may be moved back for legitimate health or personal reasons. Students who wish to be granted such extensions must notify me in a timely fashion (e.g., on or before the day the assignment is due or before the test begins.) In other cases, papers that are submitted after the deadline will be considered late and will be penalized 1/2 grade for every 24 hour period after the stated deadline.
Reading Schedule:
Reading assignments should be completed before class on the date for which they are assigned. On some dates, reserve readings will be divided among class members, who will be responsible to inform the rest of the class about the content.
Grading: (The numbers below represent approximate point values)
Tests:approximately 70-80 points each
Short directed papers:up to 30 points
Research paper:80 points
Class participation/attendance 25 to 30 points
Total pointsApproximately 300 points
Grading scale: 94%=A, 90%=A-, 88%=B+, 83%=B, 80%=B-, C+=77%, C=73%, C-=70
Monday, August 30 (A.M. & P.M. class)
Approaches to abnormal behavior: Assumptions about human nature and "normal" behavior
The socially constructed nature of normal and abnormal behavior
History of mental health treatment: advances and abuses
P.M. movie: 12:45
Tuesday, August 31 (A.M. and P.M. class)
History of mental health treatment
Diagnosis, Assessment, and Research Methodology
Library Workshops (Library 126): 1-2 or 2-3 P.M.
Reading: Text, Chapters 1 (pp.1-15), 2 (pp. 32-52), 3b (pp. 90-113)
Begin reading Jamisen, An Unquiet Mind
Slater, L. (2004). On being sane in insane places: Retracing David Rosenhan’s journey. Psychotherapy Networker, 54-60.
Original research article on which the Slater selection is based:
Rosenhan, D. L. On being sane in insane places. Science, 179, 250-258.
Wednesday, September 1 (A.M. and P.M. class)
Issues in Diagnosis and Assessment
Introduction to mood disorders
Reading: Text, Chapter 3 (pp. 68-90), Begin reading Chapter 6
Jamisen, An Unquiet Mind.
Wylie, M. S. (1995). Diagnosing for dollars? Family Therapy Networker, 19 (3), 22-33, 65-69.
Hare-Mustin, R. T., & Marecek, J. (1997). Abnormal and clinical psychology: The politics of madness. In D. Fox & I. Prilleltensky (Eds.), Critical psychology: An introduction (pp. 104-120). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Optional: Cloud, J. (2003, January 20). How we get labeled. Time, 102-105.
Thursday, September 2 (A.M. and P.M. class)
Mood disorders, Part I
Reading: Text, Chapter 6
Caplan, P. J. (2004). The debate about PMDD and Sarafem: Suggestions for therapists. Women and Therapy, 27 (3/4), 55-67.
Jamisen, An Unquiet Mind.
Focus on controversies related to direct-to-consumer advertising of medications.
Read one of the following:
Critser, G. (1996, Sept./Oct.). O, how happy we will be. Family Therapy Networker, 34-38, 56-63.
Duncan, B., Miller, S., & Sparks, J. (2000, March/April). Exposing the mythmakers: How soft sell has replaced hard science. Family Therapy Networker, 24-33, 52-53.
Read one of the following:
Rados, C. (2004). Truth in advertising: Rx drug ads come of age. FDA Consumer, 38(4), 20-27.
Hallon, M. F. (2004). Direct-to-consumer marketing of prescription drugs: A current perspective for neurologists and psychiatrists. CNS Drugs, 18,(2), 69-77.
Become familiar with one of the following content analysis studies:
Cline, R. J. W., & Young, H. N. (2004). Marketing drugs, marketing health care relationships: A content analysis of visual cues in direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising. Health Communication, 16 (2), 131-157.
Macias, W., & Lewis, L.S. (2004). A content analysis of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug web sites. Journal of Advertising, 32 (4), 43-56.
Friday, September 3
Mood disorders II, suicide, and anxiety
Reading:
Walen, S. (2002). It’s a funny thing about suicide: A personal experience. British Journal of Guidance and Counseling, 30, 415-430.
For Friday and the week-end: Finish reading An Unquiet Mind
Chapter 6 & Chapter 4 (pp. 116-125 & 141-143)
Enrichment/recommended:
Feldman, L.B., & Rivas-Vazquez, R. A. (2003). Assessment and treatment of social anxiety disorder. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 396-405.
Schrof, J. M., & Schultz, S. (1999, June 21). Social anxiety. U.S. News and World Report, 50-57.
Rivas-Vazquez, R. A., Johnson, S.L., Rey, G.J., Blais, M. A., & Rivas-Vazquez, A. (2002). Current treatments for bipolar disorder: A review and update for psychologists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 212-223.
Saturday, September 4
Identification of research topic and abstracts of research articles due by 2 P.M.
Monday, September 6 (A.M. and P.M. class)
Panic disorders and post-traumatic stress
Reading: Text, Chapter 4 (pp. 125-141, 144-155)
Approaches to understanding and working with traumatized individuals:
Wylie, M.S. (2004). The politics of PTSD: How a controversial diagnosis battled its way into DSM. Psychotherapy Networker, 28 (1), 36-38.
Rothschild, B. (2004). Applying the brakes. Psychotherapy Networker, 28(1), 42-45, 66.
Goldfein, J. S. (2004). Reclaiming the self. Psychotherapy Networker, 28 (1), 47-55.
Lebow, J. (2003). War of the worlds: Researchers and practitioners collide on EMDR and CISD. Psychotherapy Networker, 27(5), 79-83.
McNally, R. J. (2004, April). Psychological debriefing does not prevent posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychiatric Times, 71-74.
After the trauma: What doesn’t help and what may. (2003). Harvard Mental Health Letter.
Tuesday, September 7 (A.M. only)
Anxiety disorders
Reading: Text, Chapter 4 (pp. 137 through the end)
Different approaches to conceptualizing and treating anxiety:
Servan-Schreiber, D. (2004). Run for your life. Psychotherapy Networker, 28(4), 47-51, 67.
Ecker, B. (2003). The hidden logic of anxiety. Psychotherapy Networker, 27 (6), 38-43, 58.
Wehrenberg, M. (2003). Is relief just a swallow away? Psychotherapy Networker, 27(6), 44-45.
Wednesday, September 8
Test #1
Thursday, September 9
Field trip: Mental Health Institute
We will be leaving campus at 8 A.M. and returning at 2 P.M.
Thursday, September 9 (continued)
Legal rights pertaining to patients
Childhood issues
Reading: Chapter 13 (pp. 478-494, 524-525) & Chapter 14 (528-535, 539-546, exclude insanity defense material)
Waters, R. (2000, March/April). Generation RX: The risk of raising our kids on pharmaceuticals. Family Therapy Networker, 35-43.
For enrichment: Advances in understanding and treating ADHD
Cooper, P. (2001). Understanding AD/HD: A brief critical review of literature. Children and Society, 15, 387-395.
Root, R. W., & Resnick, R. J. (2003). An update on the diagnosis and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 34-41.
Brown, R. T., & LaRosa, A. (2002). Recent developments in the pharmacotherapy of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33, 591-595.
Friday, September 10
Developmental and eating disorders
Reading: Text, Chapter 8 (pp. 278-300), Chapter 5 (pp. 175-177)
Autism and other developmental disorders:
Kabot, S., Masi, W., & Segal, M. (2003). Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 34, 26-33.
Baron-Cohen, S. (2002). Is Asperger Syndrome necessarily viewed as a disability? Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17 (3), 186-191.
Molloy, H., & Vasil, L. (2002). The social construction of Asperger Syndrome: The pathologising of difference? Disability and Society, 17, 659-669.
Saturday, September 11 Due at 2 P.M.: Annotated bibliography for research review
Monday, September 13 (A.M. and P.M.)
Psychological problems manifested as physical problems (including sleep, stress, sex, & somatization)
Reading: Text, Chapter 5 (pp. 59-173), Chapter 7, Chapter 8 (pp. 300-315), Chapter 9 (330-346)
Focus on sexual “dysfunction” in the age of Viagra:
McCarthy, B. (2004). Beyond Viagra: Why the promise of cure far exceeds the reality. Psychotherapy Networker, 28 (3), 81-85.
Dishman, J. R., & Mamo, L. (2001). What’s in a disorder: A cultural analysis of medical and pharmaceutical constructions of male and female sexual dysfunction. Women and Therapy, 24 (1/2), 179-193.
Drew, J. (2003). The myth of female sexual dysfunction and its medicalization. Sexualities, Evolution and Gender, 5 (2), 89-96.
Moynihan, R. (2003). The making of a disease: Female sexual dysfunction. British Medical Journal, 326, 45-47.
Potts, A., Grace, V., Gavey, N., & Varen, T. (2004). “Viagra stories”: Challenging “erectile dysfunction.” Social Science and Medicine, 59, 489-499.
Tiefer, L. (2000). Sexology and the pharmaceutical industry: The threat of co-optation. Journal of Sex Research, 37, 273-283.
Tiefer, L. (2002). Beyond the medical model of women’s sexual problems: A campaign to resist the promotion of “female sexual dysfunction.” Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 17, 127-135.
Tuesday, September 14(A.M. and P.M.)
Dissociative and “borderline” personality disorder
Reading: Text, Chapter 5 (pp. 177-193), Chapter 11 (pp. 426-429)
Challenges of understanding individuals with changeable states of consciousness, emotion, & behavior:
Frentz, L. (2002, September-October). Treating the self-harming client. Psychotherapy Networker, 69-77.
Butler, K. (2001, May/June). Revolution on the horizon: DBT challenges the borderline diagnosis. Psychotherapy Networker, 26-39.
Layton, M. (1995, May/June). Emerging from the shadows. Family Therapy Networker, 35-41.
Kaysen, S. (1993). My diagnosis. Chapter from Girl, Interrupted. New York: Random House.
Elzinga, B. M., van Kyck, R., & Spinoven, P. (1998). Three controversies about dissociative identity disorder. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 5, 13-23.
Wednesday, September 15(A.M. and P.M.)
Personality disorders and gender identity disorder
Reading: Text, Chapter 11 and Chapter 9 (p. 325-330)
Begin reading Schiller & Bennett, The Quiet Room
Focus on gender identity disorder and transgender identity:
Carroll, L., Gilroy, P.J., & Ryan, J. (2002). Counseling transgendered, transsexual, and gender-variant clients. Journal of Counseling and Development, 80, 131-139.
Pela, R.L. (1997, November). Boys in the dollhouse, girls with toy trucks. Advocate, 55-59.
Gender Identity Disorder Reform website: gidreform.org
Thursday, September 16
Schizophrenia and related disorders
Reading: Text, Chapter 12
Schiller & Bennett, The Quiet Room
Friday, September 17 (A.M. and 12:00-2:00)
Schizophrenia (A.M.) and Guest speaker (P.M.): Margalea Warner
Reading: Text, Chapter 12
Finish reading Schiller, The Quiet Room
Richter, E. (2003). Goodbye to all that: A young woman refuses the schizophrenic’s life.Psychotherapy Networker, 27 (4), 87-88.
Monday, September 20 (A.M. and P.M.)
Substance-related disorders
Reading: Text, Chapter 10 (pp. 363-376, 386-403)
Class research reports
Tuesday, September 21
Class research reports
Wednesday, September 22
Test #2
Notes About Writing and Academic Honesty
Formal Writing: If you are a psychology major, you will be expected to use APA style. Information of this style is available in the APA Publication Manual or a handout that is available from the WritingResourceCenter. Any sources that are discussed in papers must be documented through appropriate citations, footnotes, and/or references. It is not acceptable to cite sources only when using direct quotes. Whenever you quote an author's work or provide a summary of their ideas, you must utilize a citation within the text of your paper. In addition, a list of all references should appear at the end of your paper.
Inclusive Language: It is important to use inclusive, nonsexist language in all your written work during this course. The American Psychological Association provides specific guidelines for using nonsexist language in the official publication manual.
Honesty in Academic Work:
A student is expected to explicitly acknowledge ideas, claims, observations, or data of others, unless generally known. When a piece of work is submitted for credit, a student is asserting that the submission is her or his work unless there is a citation of a specific source. If there is no appropriate acknowledgement of sources, whether intended or not, this may constitute a violation of the College’s requirement for honesty in academic work and may be treated as a case of academic dishonesty.
Dishonesty in academic work includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating refers to the use of unauthorized sources of information on examinations or any attempt by students to deceive the marker or evaluator of an examination, paper or project. Plagiarism is the act of taking the work of another and passing it off as one's own, without acknowledgement of the original source.
The appropriate acknowledgment of sources involves meeting the following requirements:
Quotations and Paraphrasing. All direct quotations, even if mingled with original words and ideas, must be placed within quotation marks and accompanied by a specific citation for the source of the quotation. Unless the information is generally known, all phrases that are not original to the author – even two or three words – must be placed in quotation marks and cited. If an existing idea is used by paraphrased or summarized, both the original author’s words and sentence structure must be changed and a specific citation for the source must still be made. It is always the responsibility for the student to provide precise sources for all ideas, information, or data he or she has borrowed or adapted. Simply listing sources in a bibliography is not sufficient. Students who use information from the World Wide Web are expected to follow these same guidelines for the citation of sources. Failure to cite sources properly constitutes academic dishonesty, whether the omission is intentional or not.
Ideas and Data. All students are required to acknowledge the ideas of others. Every student is expected to do her or his own work in the completion of an assignment or examination unless either (a) the sources for these ideas are explicitly cited, or (b) the instructor explicitly allows such collaboration.
Submitting revisions of academic work previously submitted, either in the current course or in previous courses, qualifies as academic dishonesty unless the student obtains the permission of all the instructors involved.
All data sources must be cited accurately. It is dishonest to fabricate or alter research data included in laboratory reports, projects, or other assignments.
A safe guide is to provide a full citation for every source consulted. Sources may include, but are not limited to, published books, articles, reviews, Internet sites, archival material, visual images, oral presentations, or personal correspondence. In addition, students should always keep previous drafts of their work in order to provide documentation of their original work.