Here’s a knowledge organizer I’ve created of the most essential terms for psychological disorders in an introductory psychology course. These knowledge organizers are designed to help you identify the most important factual knowledge you need to have in order to … Read More
Evaluating Medications & Other Biomedical Interventions
In this video I consider the questions that are raised when evaluating pharmaceutical interventions and what they mean for our understanding of mental illness. Next I describe other biomedical interventions for psychological disorders which are not as commonly used and … Read More
Biomedical Approaches: Psychopharmacology
In this video I begin describing biomedical approaches to mental illness in more detail and focus on psychopharmacology. I describe some of the main mechanisms of antipsychotic, anti-anxiety, and antidepressant medications, along with the uses and potential side effects of … Read More
Cognitive Therapy, CBT, & Group Approaches
In this video I describe cognitive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and group approaches to treatment. I describe the general principles of these approaches and some of the key terms associated with each, along with examples of how these might be applied … Read More
Types of Treatment: Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, & Behavioral
In this video I describe how treatments can broadly be categorized into biomedical treatments and psychotherapy. Next I explain three approaches to psychotherapy: psychoanalytic, humanistic, and behavioral. I describe the general principles of these approaches and some of the key … Read More
Trauma & Stressor Related Disorders
In this video I describe some symptoms and the prevalence of several disorders in the Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders category of the DSM-5. These include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder, and Adjustment Disorder. Please note that the symptoms … Read More
On Being Sane in Insane Places – The Rosenhan Study
In this video I discuss David Rosenhan’s well-known study in which pseudo-patients went for psychiatric consultations and described a single symptom of hearing voices. I discuss how this study raised questions about recognition and diagnosis of mental illness, interpretations of … Read More
Deviance, Dysfunction, Distress, & Disorders
In this video I describe characteristics that are important for determining whether traits or behaviors represent potential symptoms of a disorder. These mostly focus on deviance, dysfunction, and distress, though danger and duration also play a role in identifying symptoms. … Read More
What is Normal?
In this video I begin the unit on psychopathology by asking how we can define normality and abnormality. Which traits or behaviors should be considered abnormal and indicative of a psychological disorder? What role do societal views play in the … Read More