This course will use interdisciplinary perspectives to explore how the concepts are “normal” and “abnormal” are constructed with respect to psychopathology. Students will examine the historical, cultural, and political foundations of the psychiatric diagnostic system, tracing the development of what it means to be ‘mentally ill’ over time. Students will learn how the framework established the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has developed over time. Students will learn how psychiatric disorders are classified within the current DSM-5-TR; the clinical criteria for the most prevalent psychiatric diagnoses; and the psychiatric discipline’s current understanding of the etiology, evidence-based treatment, and course of most major psychiatric diagnoses. Using a biopsychosocial perspective, students will also learn from sociological, historical, and anthropological perspectives to explore the socio-cultural and historical perspectives that shape our understanding of illness, healing, and wellness, with a particular emphasis on critical and lived experience perspectives. Through interdisciplinary readings and applied activities, students develop skills in trauma-informed assessment and care, diagnostic reasoning, critical analysis, and culturally responsive approaches to care.

This program will enable students to:

• Understand the historical development of the current classification system for psychopathology from a critical, contextual perspective.
• Understand the biopsychosocial model and explain how it relates to the development, course, and detection of differences in psychological functioning.
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of major DSM-5-TR diagnostic categories and criteria, as well as alternative frameworks for diagnosis
• Critically analyze how power, culture, history, and other systemic factors impact psychiatric diagnosis.
• Understand how psychiatric diagnosis relates to mental health treatment, including an understanding of how systemic factors shape both diagnosis and treatment.
• Critically appraise existing approaches to mental health assessment and treatment.
• Apply principles of cultural humility and trauma-informed care in their consideration of diagnosis and treatment in mental health practice.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

4 - Abnormal Psychology