Psychopathology

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with basics of

psychopathology. In addition to an overview of the major categories

of mental disorders, the course will review the basic concepts and

definitions in psychopathology as well as the topics related to the

assessment, diagnosis, classification, epidemiology, etiology and

treatment of mental disorders.

One in four people in the world will suffer from at least one mental

disorder at some point during their lifetime. Mental illness is the most

common cause of non-fatal illness worldwide and one of the most

common causes of chronic disability. Mental illness is commonly

associated with significant suffering and can strike anyone, including

children and adults, men and women, wealthy and poor, and people

from all cultures. This course is designed to give students an

introduction to the field of psychopathology. The course will use the

recently updated DSM-5 as the primary guideline for diagnosis and

classification of mental disorders. Emphasis will be placed on the

description of clinical symptoms and syndromes as they present in

various mental disorders. Each class of disorders will be discussed in

terms of its clinical presentation, known etiology, prevalence,

treatment and prognosis. Case studies from literature and own

clinical practice will be used to illustrate main features of each

disorder. This course aims to be theoretically neutral and therefore it

presents psychopathology from the point of view of all major

theoretical perspectives, including psychological, neurobiological and

socio-cultural models.

Reading Materials for Lectures 4-13:

 Comer, R.J. (2015). Abnormal Psychology (9th edition). Worth

Publishers: New York, NY.

Supplementary reading materials:

 Kilgus, M.D., Maxmen, J.S., Ward, N.G. (2016). Essential

Psychopathology and Its Treatment (4thedition). WW Norton

& Co: New York, NY.

 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition). Author :

Arlington, VA

Upon completion of the course, a student should be able to:

 define the concept of a mental disorder,

 recognize and describe symptoms of major mental disorders,

 identify the major etiological and treatment paradigms in

psychopathology,

 understand the role of biological, psychological, and cultural

factors in shaping normal and abnormal behavior,

 understand the importance of scientific and clinical research

in advancement of knowledge of psychopathology and its

treatment.

Assessment methods and criteria

Grades will be determined based on performance on the following:

 Midterm test worth 25% of the final grade and the Final exam

worth 65% of the final grade (total 90%). Both tests will have

multiple choice format. The final exam will be cumulative.

 Written assignment worth 10% of the final grade. Students will be

required to write a 3-5 page long paper based on research articles

related to psychopathology. Topic TBA.

 Attendance - extra 2% will be added to the final grade of all

students having no more than one unexcused lecture absence as

determined by the attendance list.

Attendance rules

Students will be allowed a maximum of two unexcused absences for the

class. In case of formal excuse, up to 50% of classes can be missed.

Missing more than half of the classes results in not passing the course.