Psychology 451Seminar in Abnormal Psychology

Dr. Ron KleinknechtDepartment of Psychology,

Office : AI 186Office Hours: 1:00 – 2:30 Tuesday and ThursdayClass room: AI 194Phone: 650-3944E-mail: Ronald.kleinknecht@wwu.eduWeb site http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/knecht/

 About me:

About you:

Purposes and goalsPrerequisites: 210, 250, 303, 351 with C- or

better

Examine in depth, selected mental disorders including their

description, etiologies, consequences, treatments, how these specific disorders affect and/or are affected by physical conditions and disorders. links between physical and mental disorders

the various psychological, emotional, and physical systems and mechanisms that mediate psychological and physical conditions.

Goals continuedThe seminar goal then is to understand how mental,

emotional, and physiologic processes are really part of single system that is the human body.

Causal mechanisms of disorders can go either direction:

Mental/ physical Emotional

anxiety CHD, hives, irritable Bowel

depression headache, chronic pain

Schizophrenia dementia, Viral infections

Assignmentconduct a literature review and provide oral, in

class reports on In-depth analysis of a chosen psychological

disorders and how it causes or affects and/or is affected by a physical disorder

you will need to understand the mechanism by which our physical bodies can affect our mental and emotional states and how our mental/emotional states can affect us physically.

Explore unanswered questions about these mechanisms and

Outline a research study that might give us a greater understanding

Course Structure and Policies:

Attendance & Participation: attendance is required as is active participation and discussion and contributions to the class. (Excuses for Swine flu from Student Health Center or private Physician)

Policy on plagiarism: Any evidence that the work you report or turn in is not solely your own production will result in a failing grade. (See Catalog, Appendix D, p. 398)

Presentations and written Final Paper: There will be two or three short in-class presentations of your work as the course proceeds culminating in a final class presentation and a final written paper.

Paper Structure:Pose your research question: “How does X cause, contribute, lead

to… Y”The Disorder:

Describe essential features and diagnostic criteria of the disorder (DSM-IV)

Epidemiology Review and evaluate theories of etiology – learning, genetics, disease…

What physical disorder/s or conditions have been shown to be a function, in whole or in part of the mental disorder? Describe the physical disorders, review literature and evaluate it.

What treatments are effective for this disorder? Review literature and critique and evaluate its quality. Does treatment resolving the mental disorder also resolve the physical

or vice versa? How solid is the research?

What questions remain to be explored concerning the relationship between the psychological and physical conditions?

Design a study to examine one of the questions  

Guest Speakers

Dr. James Harle, M.D., Child Psychiatrist (Oct. 22)

Dr. Jeffery Steger, Ph.D. Clinical Medical Psychologist

Dr. Bill Mahoney, Ph.D. Social Psychologist & Medical

researcherDr. Ian Thompson, MD. Director of St.

Joseph’s Hospital Cancer Center

Stepping Stone Project

Opportunity to participate in a ground breaking clinical study designed to reduce frequency of elderly patients reentering the hospital following a hospital stay.

Serve as patient coaches Training (October 15th or 20th)3 hrs./week commitmentWho would like to do this?

Class ScheduleSeptember:24 Introduction and overview of class and assignment: 29 The Nature of Diagnosis and Mechanisms of

psychological disorder causing or impacting physical disorder and physical disorder causing or impacting psychological disorder.

October 1 Example: Blood, Injury, Injection Phobia6 Dr. Mahoney - stepping stones project and Patient

activation8 Psychological consequences of Cancer diagnosis

and treatment - Dr. Ian Thompson12 Class topics – brief reports on direction (5 - 10 min.)15 Dr. Jeff Steger, Chronic Pain and Psychological

Disorder20 Guest 0r (my report on immune system conference)22 Dr. James Harle: Children’s Mental and physical

health26

For Now…

Explore your subjects …