Psych Disorders & Treatment Review

Reviewing for your Psych Disorders and Treatment Unit Test is going to require you to bring your A-game. You've been working hard all year to master your study habits, so put those hard-earned skills to work in the week ahead.

This unit has a lot (100+) of confusing-sounding vocabulary terms (e.g, drug names, disorder names), so it would be easy to get bogged down in vocabulary. I would highly recommend that you avoid simple "death-by-flashcard" review and instead focus on identifying connections and relationships between ideas. For example: if using flashcards, can you group terms into piles by category? Which ones are anxiety disorders? Which therapeutic techniques are behavioral?

To help you focus your studies and recognize the relationships between the vocabulary terms, I've created this Short List of key items for review. You might question whether this is "short" or not, it will provide a place to start.

Study Session Materials:

• Which One Doesn't Belong? (WS)
• Grid: Comparing Treatment Approaches
• Practice FRQ on Psych Disorders & Treatment
• Review Activity: Who Would Say That? (Therapists)
• Review Activity: Who Would Say That? (Patients/Disorders)
• Review Activity: Treatment Identification

Class Notes/Activities on Psychological Disorders


Therapy & Treatment - Unit 13


Biomedical Treatments (4/14/15)

The New Asylums

Interested in viewing the rest of documentary that we excerpted in class? The New Asylums aired on Frontline in 2006. It features an excellent overview of the difficulties of treating persons with mental illness in prison systems, and is definitely worth a watch (though, take the "graphic content" warning seriously: some of these inmates are very ill and their speech and behavior reflect that).

I wish we had time to view the entire thing in class. Perhaps after the AP Exam?

Anxiety Disorders - Activities for 3-27-15

Hi all!

Today you get to explore an interesting category of disorder in the DSM-5: Anxiety Disorders. There have been some changes to the way these disorders are described and classified in the newest version of the DSM, so what you learn today may update previous understandings you might have had about these conditions.

(Note: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) used to be considered anxiety disorders in the DSM-IV-TR, and they are related to these conditions. As a result, your text describes them in the same Module, and Hank will describe OCD in today's video. We will address these conditions when I return on Monday.)

Here's what you need to do:

1. Watch the Crash Course video on Anxiety Disorders (below) to get an intro to these conditions.
2. Begin work on your Anxiety Disorders Booklet (due April 2). Today will be the only time you'll get class time to work on this, so use it productively! I will have the old versions of this project on display in the classroom. However, since those are based on DSM-IV-TR criteria, yours will end up looking different! Your sub will provide you with necessary supplies.

Diagnosis and Treatment Project

The DSM will become your friend!

At the conclusion of this unit, you should be able to recognize several of the major categories of psychological disorders and their related symptoms. You'll also be able to compare and evaluate different treatment approaches for these disorders.

To demonstrate your mastery of these skills, you will be completing a Diagnosis and Treatment Project that involves analyzing two patient cases and providing diagnosis (based on DSM-IV-TR guidelines) and treatment recommendations for them. You'll also explore how each patient's diagnosis would appear under DSM-5 criteria.

You will be provided with handouts on your specific patient cases in class. They are taken from DSM-IV-TR Casebooks that are used to provide students with practice applying DSM-IV-TR criteria.

Your typed write-ups are due Friday, April 11. Because it is very normal for folks to have questions about this project, I'll be available after school every day this week to help, as well as during lunches and in the AM on Thursday. Please see me if you get stuck.

Resources:

Directions: Diagnosis and Treatment Project

Example: Patient Case and accompanying Diagnosis & Treatment Plan

DSM-IV-TR Codes and Links to Diagnostic Criteria

Handout: Highlights of Changes from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5

Scoring Rubric: Diagnosis and Treatment Project

Snow Day #7 - Bio-medical Treatments for Psych Disorder

If you are reading this, it is because our 2-hour delay turned into yet another snow day. In order to keep you on track, I'm posting notes and activities on a very specific approach to treatment: the Biomedical Treatments. These are approaches that attempt to address physiological (i.e., physical, organic, or biological) causes of mental illnesses. They range from drugs, to surgeries, to electrical stimulation.

Much of next week will be devoted to exploring psychotherapies, the "talk therapies," which are very different from these medical approaches.

What You Need to Do:

1. View the Video Notes on this topic. As you do, be sure to record the four-digit code that I will provide in pieces throughout the presentation. 
2. You can take notes either on your own OR using this Notes Guide.
3. On Monday, we will begin with a 5-question quiz on this topic. You can use your notes, and you will need to provide the code at that time.

Technical problems? Prefer not to do this via the web? If you are unable to view the show for whatever reason, you have the option of coming to class at 4 PM on Sunday (April 6), and I will do the notes/lecture live. I will already be at school to set up for our Practice AP Exam (at 5:00 PM), so I'm more than willing to start early to give folks the chance to get this information in person.

Video Notes

Slides - Biomedical Therapies

  rTMS to Treat Depression


Deep Brain Stimulation

Resources for Case Example Application: Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

This week you will apply your knowledge of Psych Disorders and Treatment to create typed case reports for two individuals that you received information about last week. To complete the project you will need:

• The directions for your project and the two case examples you received on Friday (note: different students received different subjects).
• Access to the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic codes. There are several places you can find these. You can navigate through this online version, use the full or abbreviated versions available in the classroom, or access the library's copy of the DSM-IV-TR during study hall. I also have guides for differential diagnosis in my room.
• Access to information about treatment. Here, your textbook will be a good resource, as will the notes you take in class this week.

Diagnosis and treatment planning is obviously a skill that clinicians develop over years of practice, and you are in no way expected to demonstrate proficiency at that level. Your score will be determined based on the rationale (or evidence) you provide for your decisions about diagnosis and treatment options. Even trained professionals do not always agree on diagnostic and treatment decisions, so there is no "right" answer that I am looking for in each of these cases. However, some decisions are more defensible than others, so it is in your best interest to incorporate details from the case example in your rationale and defend your treatment decisions using information from the case and from what you have learned about treatment options.

I am including an example case and an accompanying case report based on that example for your convenience. This should give you an idea of how to format and organize your final product, though keep in mind you will complete TWO of these.

Reviewing Psych Disorders and Treatments

As we approach what is probably one of the most difficult unit tests of the year, you're probably looking for ways to consolidate all that information about Psych Disorders and Treatments that we've been learning about this unit. In addition to the multiple choice study guide you received following the reading quiz, you've got a number of tools at your disposal.
One is the Quizlet Vocab Review embedded below. Also, if you'd like some additional multiple choice practice, you might want to check out these online practice questions from www.appsychology.com . You'll want to select "Psychological Disorders" and/or "Therapies" to test your skills for this unit.

Of course, we also have a study session scheduled for this evening from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, so if you prefer to review in person with classmates, that is an option, too!

Choose a Study ModeScatterLearnFlashcards

Study these flash cards | Study psychology flash cards

Out of the Shadows - Children's Mental Health

On April 12th, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Continuing Education Office will be hosting a community event to raise awareness about children's mental health. Entitled, "Out of the Shadows: Children's Mental Health," the program is intended for "families, communities, educators, and others affected by children's mental health to talk with one another about child and adolescent mental health issues, hear from a variety of professionals that touch the lives of children with mental health needs, and discover how everyone can better work together."

The event, which will be held at the Sacred Heart Hospital Auditorium in Eau Claire, will take place from 5:30 - 8:00 PM and feature a viewing of the film Are the Kids Alright?, a documentary film examining the crisis in mental health care for children and adolescents at risk. A panel discussion on children's mental health in the Chippewa Valley will follow the film. Pre-registration and payment ($15) for the event is required, as participants will be treated to a hors d'oeuvre reception and receive educational materials to accompany the program.

Since this event coincides perfectly with our in-class coverage of psychological disorders and their treatment, it is a very timely topic for AP Psych students. As such, Mrs. Welle is offering up hefty extra credit for those who ultimately attend. Due to the expense and effort outside of school, 10 POINTS extra credit will be awarded to attendees. Keep your ticket/program to demonstrate proof of attendance, though you likely will also see Mrs. Welle there.

If you wish to register online via credit card, you may do so by following this link. However, since many students may prefer to pay via cash or check (and...if the number of participants is limited, Psych Club may be able to kick in some of the cost), Mrs. Welle will collect registration forms & payments from interested students up until the end of this week (March 30th). Copies are available in the classroom. (If paying by check, you can make checks payable to UW-Eau Claire.)

Links for John Nash & A Beautiful Mind Discussion

The case of Nobel Prize winner John Nash presents an interesting platform for exploring the nature of mental illness. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994 for his contribution to game theory, Nash had suffered from paranoid schizophrenia much of his life.

Nash's life was depicted in the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind, which took considerable dramatic license with his story (although still a good film, in my opinion).

For a more realistic consideration of his illness, treatment, and remarkable recovery, check out the American Experience documentary, A Brilliant Madness. The companion site features bios, extended interviews, and a timeline of mental health treatment.

TV ALERT: The Wounded Platoon

If you're looking for some psych-related television tomorrow night, be sure to check out FRONTLINE's latest invesigation: The Wounded Platoon. Sounds like a great source of information on post-traumatic stress disorder and modern warfare's psychological casualties.

Vocab Review: Psych Disorders & Treatment

If you're looking for a quick study aid for this unit's test, try this: Pysch Disorders and Treatment Quizlet.

Quizlet is an online review site that allows you to create vocabulary lists and use them to generate flashcards, play matching games, and generally familiarize yourself with the terms. I've uploaded terms for this particular unit because so many students struggle with all the new vocab.

Psych Disorders Assignment Links

By now, we've discussed in class three major categories of disorder: Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Schizophrenia. The worksheet you were given yesterday requires you to explore four additional categories of disorder. See below for links to each one:

• Personality Disorders
• Somatoform Disorders (note: some of these disorders are poised to be eliminated/subsumed under a different diagnostic name in the DSM-V; see this website for details)
• Dissociative Disorders
• Factitious Disorders (be sure to note difference between these & somatoform disorders; this category may be eliminated in the DSM-5 & given a new category name; see this website for details).

There are some major proposed changes ("reformulations") to the category of personality disorders in the DSM-5. Particularly, using trait severity ratings and increased emphasis on the person's level of functioning/social impairment in diagnosis.

Also, within the dissociative disorders, "Dissociative Fugue" may be eliminated and simply understood as a type of Dissociative Amnesia (see details).

New York Times Article - DSM V

Thanks to Kent Korek at the Teaching High School Psychology Blog for alerting us to this New York Times article on the upcoming revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

A similar article appears on the ABC News website today.

Just last week I was discussing with students the excitement surrounding the newest version of this publication, as it could significantly alter how we talk about particular disorders (as well as define new ones and eliminate old). Interestingly, this article is the first one I've encountered that discusses the possibility of changing the language describing "mental retardation" (the term that spurred our in-class discussion of it to begin with), a change the some feel is overdue.

For more information on the revision process, including proposed revisions, click here.

Psychology on Broadway

Love psychology? Love musicals? Well, you are in luck! The broadway musical Next to Normal is getting a lot of attention these days from psychology enthusiasts and music critics alike. The plot of the musical centers on the character of Diana, a wife and mother with worsening bipolar disorder, and the conflict created in her family.

The production recently snapped up two Tony Awards (out of 11 nominations), so it's clearly a great show even for those with only a casual interest in psychiatry. Recently, lyricist Brian Yorkey and composer Tom Kitt appeared on NPR's Talk of the Nation to discuss the production.

Though currently on Broadway, perhaps if the show stays popular a nationwide tour could be in the works? That way we in the Midwest could take in a show. Cross your fingers.

The video clip below is from a performance by cast members at the 2009 Tony Awards.

Revisiting Columbine

April 20, 2009 marked the 10-year anniversary of the massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. I'll admit, though it clearly reveals my age, that I was a senior in high school when this frightening event dominated the US media. I remember being very shaken by it, and like many people I still find descriptions of the shooting highly disturbing.

The recent release of the book Columbine, by Dave Cullen, is forcing many people to rethink what happened on that day. This book is currently on my to-read list, as it refutes many commonly accepted myths about the killers and their deeds (admittedly, things I had believed to be true as well). For example, the boys were not social outcasts targeted by bullies; rather, Cullen argues that they were the bullies.

Below, Dave Cullen on Columbine.

Reviewing those Psych Disorders

Here's a link to a good website with summaries of diagnostic criteria for mental disorders: AllPsychOnline. Enjoy!

Abuse of Antidepressant Drugs

During class today, one of my students presented an interesting question: what happens if you are not depressed, but you take an antidepressant (particularly an SSRI)? Would you still get a boost in mood?

I did not have a great answer for this question, since (unlike some other psychoactive medications) I hadn't heard any reports of abuse of antidepressants. Usually, if a drug can make you feel good, there's someone out there who will attempt to abuse it. After a little online sleuthing, the picture appears to look like this: some folks out there have been abusing antidepressants, but it seems to be mostly limited to those who already suffer from addictions and have run out of other options to get a "fix."

Consider this article on California jail inmates who have been faking mental illness to gain access to medication. Dated 4/6/09, the report indicates that prisoners had been falsely reporting symptoms in order to get doses of either Seroquel, an antipsychotic, or Wellbutrin, a popular antidepressant. Wellbutrin (bupropion) is NOT an SSRI, but rather a dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, and is often used in combination with SSRI's. Apparently, the prisoners who took it reported a speed-like effect. The article seems to suggest that the larger problem was with Seroquel (quetiapene), which produced a hypnotic-like effect in users who didn't really need it. The article also noted that the Santa Clara County Jail addressed the problem by substituting other antidepressants and antipsychotics in response to patient symptoms, and the problem has since subsided, though there were some interesting unintended consequences, notably an increase in depression among inmates (presumably previously masked by their drug use) and an incredible cost savings.

I was able to turn up one other article, this one on reported cases of abuse of SSRI's. Some limited reports of abuse have surfaced, though it appears the majority of abusers were attempting to use the SSRI's to replace some other addiction.

Visual Impairments Lead to Hallucinations in Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Whoa. Just when you thought you had heard of all the strange disorders out there... Check out this post by the folks at Boing Boing about Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a disorder caused by visual impairment. This is NOT a psychological disorder per se, but you can easily see how it might be mistaken for one, given that sufferers report vivid visual hallucinations, often of things much smaller in size than they are in real life (e.g. "little people").