Ch 11: Psychological Disorders and Health Lesson Plans
About This Chapter
Weekly Syllabus
Below is a sample breakdown of the Psychological Disorders and Health chapter into a 5-day school week. Based on the pace of your course, you may need to adapt the lesson plan to fit your needs.
Day | Topics | Key Terms and Concepts Covered |
---|---|---|
Monday | Definition of disorders Classification and diagnosis | Perception, learning, conditioning, types of therapists Identifying the nature and cause of illness, David Rosenhan's research and pseudopatients, the DSM |
Tuesday | Anxiety disorders Mood disorders | Symptoms and possible causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, phobias, social anxiety, specific social phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder Depression, dysthymia, bipolar disorders, suicide |
Wednesday | Dissociative disorders Somatoform disorders | Dissociative amnesia, retrograde amnesia, dissociative fugue, multiple personalities Conversion disorder, somatization disorder, hypochondriasis, body dysmorphic disorder, pain disorder |
Thursday | Substance related disorders Schizophrenia | Dependence on depressants, stimulant dependence, dependence on hallucinogens, cannabis dependence, combining substances, treatment Positive and negative symptoms; paranoid, disorganized, catatonic undifferentiated and residual schizophrenia |
Friday | Eating disorders Personality disorders | Body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating Identity and interpersonal difficulties, cluster A personality disorders, cluster B personality disorders, cluster C personality disorders, challenges in diagnosis |

1. Psychological Disorders: Definition, Examples & Approaches to Treatment
How are psychological disorders related to perception and learning? What type of psychologist helps treat these disorders? From imaginary voices to an intense fear of birds, this video will introduce you to the nature of disorders.

2. Classification & Diagnosis of Psychological Disorders
How do you diagnose something that you can't see? That's the problem faced by psychologists. This lesson will show you the tool they use to help diagnose their patients.

3. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Phobias & Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
When do we cross the boundary between natural worry and the debilitating types of anxiety associated with disorders? In this lesson, you'll explore some common anxiety disorders and their potential causes.

4. Mood Disorders: Depression, Persistent Depressive Disorder & Bipolar Disorder
Does feeling sad automatically mean someone is depressed? Are there different kinds of depression? What are mood disorders? This lesson will take a look at the answers to those questions.

5. Dissociative Disorders: Amnesia, Dissociative Fugue & Split Personalities
There are times when the human brain can actually separate its different parts, sometimes as a defense mechanism. These are known as dissociative disorders. This lesson takes a closer look at these kinds of disorders and how they impact the mind.

6. Somatoform Disorders: Definition, Types & Examples
What's the mind's relationship with the body? In this lesson we'll examine how some physical symptoms could actually be caused by psychological factors.

7. Substance Abuse & Substance Dependence: Definition & Characteristics
Many people have a drink now and then, but how do you know if you have a substance-related disorder? This lesson will help you learn the difference between just having a drink and having an actual problem.

8. Schizophrenia: Definition & Overview
Our perception of schizophrenia is largely shaped by what we see in the movies. Is schizophrenia more than just a 'hallucination' disease? Check out this lesson to find out about the different types of schizophrenia.

9. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) & Eating Disorders: Definition & Types
Many of us have something about our appearance that we'd like to change, but for some people these desires can develop into actual disorders. How are body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders related? This lesson gives you a closer look at these disorders and the impact they can have on people.

10. Personality Disorders: Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, Schizoid & Antisocial
Will the Personality Disorder Crime Force make it out of the office today? In this lesson, you'll learn about each superhero's personality disorder as a late delivery of donuts sets off some of their common behaviors.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the Intro to Psychology Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans course
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- States of Consciousness in Psychology Lesson Plans
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