Abnormal Psychology Lesson Plan

Day 1: History of Treatment of the Mentally Ill: Students will learn about the way mentally ill were treated by society in the past. They will also delve into the medical treatments used in the past for people who were mentally ill. Students will learn about treatments such as “bleeding” and lobotomies. We will discuss abnormal behaviors that were then seen as mentally ill and compare/ contrast views from then to today. Students will also become familiar with how our medical system works today in the United States and how it compares with other parts of the world.

Day 2: Anxiety Disorders- Phobias: Students will learn about the different types of disorders and phobias. Students will identify symptoms and causes of anxiety disorders, phobias, OCD, etc. They will also learn about the various treatments associated with these psychological problems. Students will become familiar with the different anxiety-based disorders by the end of this unit. Students will also learn the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis.

Day 3: Somatoform Disorders: Students will learn the different types of somatoform disorders. These will include, but are not limited to, somatization disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and hypochondria. Students will learn the causes and symptoms of these disorders as well as things that cause these disorders to manifest. Students will learn about real-life examples of these situations through research. Students will also learn about treatments of these disorders and the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis.

Day 4: Addiction: Students will learn about the traits of addiction. We will cover drugs and alcohol in this course as well as abnormal addictions. Students will learn the causes of these addictions and treatment options. They will also learn about the societal and economic effects of these disorders. Students will also be able to identify whether they think addiction is an actual illness. 

Day 5: Schizophrenia, dissociative disorders, and mind/ mood disorders: Students will learn the traits of these illnesses. They will learn the potential causes, symptoms, as well as treatment options. They will watch different videos on these disorders and and their final project will be a report on the different disorders.

Possible Texts: This course will involve many DVDs and videos to provide a visual for students of mental illnesses and disorders. Students will also have access to a text book which will be provided by the instructor. They will also use various websites as they conduct their own research. Student will also read excerpts of various novels about disorders icluding:

Snyder, Kurt. Me, Myself, and Them (schizophrenia)
Noble, Kim. All of Me (multiple personality disorder)

Assessments: Assessments in this class with take the form of an end of the year research paper/ presentation and various quizzes. Students will also partake in a mid-term exam. There will be various DVDs and videos shown in class to allow students to get a visual of different disorders and illnesses. Students will also be able to represent different topics in a visual manner by use of posters, video, or presentation. The main assessment will be through discussion and daily class observation.