Current Controversies in Mood Disorders

Course Description

Can bipolar disorder be accurately diagnosed in children? Do certain antidepressant medications increase risk of suicide? Can alternative remedies such as fish oil stabilize mood swings? These questions address only a few of the recent controversies that surround the study of mood disorders, such as major depression and bipolar illness. Using these disorders to illustrate key concepts, this course is intended to provide you with an introduction to the study of abnormal psychology.

In this class, you will learn how to integrate information on the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to psychological disorders. Further, within this framework, you will learn how to critically evaluate controversies surrounding the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of mood disorders.

In order to accomplish these goals, the specific objectives of this course are to:
1. Enhance your critical thinking skills,
2. Develop your written and oral communication skills,
3. Introduce you to research methods that are used to answer important questions in the fields of psychology and psychiatry,
4. Enhance your understanding of how mood disorders impact one's life (and the lives of loved ones).

Course materials include scholarly readings and personal written accounts of living with a mood disorder, multimedia presentations illustrating key features of mood disorders, and a visit from speakers from our local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, who will share their personal experiences with major depression and bipolar disorder.

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course, although a background in general psychology would be helpful.