General Principles of Psychopathology

Catalog description

This course provides the foundation for the rich sequence of courses on psychopathological conditions in children adolescents, adults, and the elderly. It starts with a presentation and analysis of the theories about normality found within the literature and implicit within many psychometric scales and instruments. It follows with an analysis of the experience of stress, loss, trauma, dissociation, and other non-pathological human experiences that reflect the borderline between normalcy and psychopathology. It concentrates on the techniques utilized to assess psychopathology within clinical settings with special and detailed attention to the mental status evaluation. The main concepts utilized in the field of psychopathology will be explained. The student will learn the meaning of symptoms, signs, and syndromes as these relate to normal and abnormal dynamics of both organic and psychological nature. The course ends with an exploration of the adjustment disorders of DSM-V-TR “V” codes, of the DSM V-TR culture-bound syndromes (e.g., nervous breakdown) and of the milder forms of psychological dysfunction. Students will be introduced to the ICD-10 system.