Mental Health and Psychopathology

3 credits · Graduate

This doctoral seminar is designed to provide an understanding of the complex (and often interactive) individual and environmental conditions that increase the risk of psychopathology in individuals across the life span. We will start by learning about general concepts important to an understanding of psychopathology and prevention of psychopathology, including the "biopsychosocial model," "psychological resilence," and different levels of preventive interventions. For each different area of psychopathology, we will consider: a) the core feature of disorder; b) key theory and empirical evidence regarding etiology and course, with a particular emphasis on understanding the range of risk and protective factors on the individual, family, and community level; and c) the implications of etiological understanding for public health efforts to prevent the particular disorder.