Psychopathology

3.4 Assignment. Journal. Continuing the Hero's Journey

Getting Started

You’ve been thinking about the Hero’s Journey and your TED-style talk for the past few courses. Now it’s time to start taking inventory of what you’ve learned so you can begin planning for your talk in a more concrete manner.

In the capstone course, you will develop a TED-style talk that pulls together much of your learning from this and other courses. These journal entries are of particular importance in helping you refine your topic for the talk.

In this journal entry, you will review and sift out ten of the most important takeaways from the character strengths profile that you completed earlier in this workshop, along with any other personality or character traits you’ve identified in other courses. You can also think about how these traits overlap with career aspirations you’ve already identified and would like to explore.

You will then narrow that list of ten takeaways to three and from that short list come up with a tentative topic for your TED-style talk. Getting clear on your topic in this assignment is important because it will enable you to move forward with future work in a focused manner.

And just to clarify a couple of points on the talk. It’s referred to as a TED-style talk to give you a lot of room to be creative. In this and previous courses, you’ve had an opportunity to view a number of actual TED-style talks. These are formal speeches given from the stage and watched by millions of people. You can create a similar speech for your talk (though it may not be viewed by millions of people), or you can infuse more creativity into your presentation. For example, you could create it in the format of a podcast, or you could do an animation with a voice-over, or some other creative option of your choice.

In addition to refining your topic and your format, you also want to get clarity on what audio and video resources you will need to create and present your talk in the chosen format. This journal entry is designed to help you think through these important steps in your TED-style talk.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

· Identify and describe the most salient takeaways from previous assignments to be incorporated into a future TED-style talk.

Resources

· Textbook:  Modern Psychopathologies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal

Background Information

Here is a suggested approach to completing this assignment. First, take the results of the character strengths profile you completed earlier in this workshop and highlight the top character traits from the inventory. Think about how these traits manifest in your life and why they ranked high in your profile. Jot down ideas as you sort through the inventory.

Then go back over some of the previous journal entries from past courses to review what you’ve already learned about your personality, your chosen specialization, and the type of work you think would be most interesting to you. Match this previous learning with what you are seeing in the character strengths profile. Look for patterns that overlap. This is the brainstorming part of the task. Don’t get hung up on limiting yourself to ten. The idea is to brainstorm at least ten points to work from.

With those patterns in mind, narrow it to three core ideas that seem most prevalent or interest you the most. From that short list, choose a specific topic and a format for delivery.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 9, “Problem of Mood,” in your textbook.

2. Open your ongoing TED-style talk Reflection Journal that you have saved in a Word document.

a. Title this new journal entry “PSY-540 3.4 TED-Style Talk  <Day, Month Year>.”

3. As you write your journal during this session, reflect on the following questions:

a. Make a list of the ten most important takeaways you’ve learned about yourself from the courses you’ve completed thus far, including the Character Strengths Profile.

b. From that list of ten, choose three that represent your most vital growth, both personally and spiritually. Explain why these are of particular importance to you.

c. What is your tentative topic for the upcoming TED-style talk, and how do you intend to incorporate at least one (or more) of those three vital areas of importance into your talk?

d. The TED-style talk will involve both audio and video but can be presented in a number of ways. For example, it can be delivered as a speech to an audience, or given as a podcast or through a voice-over with animation, among other options. Explain how you might want to present your TED-style talk.

e. What elements of audio and video do you think will be used in your talk to enhance your message? Do you have the resources and knowledge needed to apply these elements into your talk?

3.3 Assignment. Strength-Based Approach to Mental Health

Getting Started

When we refer to a person’s psychopathology, we are clearly talking about their problematic attitudes, thoughts, or behaviors. Another way of saying this is that a person’s psychopathology represents what’s broken, deficient, or wrong with them. That’s why people go to counseling, right? They have a problem they can’t seem to figure out on their own, so they elicit the help of a counselor or therapist. That’s the assumption most mental health practitioners and counseling clients have when they provide or engage in mental health treatment.

But there is an emerging trend in mental health called a strengths-based approach that focuses on a person’s internal strengths, character, and available resources instead of on their shortcomings, failures, and weaknesses. In fact, there are some therapists that specialize in strength-based counseling.

The idea behind strengths-based therapy is to use the natural adversity in life to discover inner strengths. How a particular person manages life challenges will put them in a position to work from either their strengths or from their deficits. If a person works from the strength-based mindset, they will focus on their own positive qualities and the positive qualities of others instead of the negative. Strength-based living emphasizes positive thinking and proactive initiation. People see themselves as fully human with great potential instead of limiting their self-understanding to a diagnosis.

In this assignment, you have the opportunity to take a free online assessment called the Character Strengths Profile that measures character qualities in 24 different areas. You will then assess the results focusing on your areas of strength and how those areas might overlap with the type of work you are considering in your career and in your faith journey.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

· Identify and evaluate key character strengths from an online assessment.

Resources

· Textbook:  Modern Psychopathologies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal

· Article: Strengths-Based Approach for Mental Health Recovery

· Video & Transcript: What Is Strengths-Based Coaching?

· Website: VIA Survey

Background Information

Read Chapter 8 in the textbook on “Problems of Anxiety” and then watch the video on  Strength-Based Coaching to get a quick overview of what the strength-based approach is about. Then take the online VIA Survey to identify your character strengths and print out the results. Finally, read the article “Strengths-Based Approach for Mental Health Recovery” as a way to solidify your understanding of mental health issues. Follow this order to get the maximum benefit from the resources.

The VIA Survey is a free online assessment that consists of 120 questions and measures character qualities in 24 different areas. Once the assessment is completed, you will be able to immediately view your results and also print out a copy of the results. A copy of these results will be very helpful in completing the written portion of the assignment detailed below.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 8, “Problems of Anxiety,” in your textbook.

2. Review the video,  What Is Strengths-Based Coaching?  (2:29 minutes).

a. Transcript of the video .

3. From the VIA Institute on Character website, take the free online  VIA Survey  (you will need to register on the site).

a. Print out your results.

4. As a way to solidify your understanding of mental health issues, read the article,  Strengths-Based Approach for Mental Health Recovery .

5. Write a three- to four-page paper that addresses the following questions:

a. List your five top strengths as reflected in the character strengths profile results.

b. How well do these strengths match what you know about yourself?

i. Do you agree with the results?

c. Give an example from your life of how each strength has been evident in the past year.

d. As you contemplate the type of work you are considering once you finish your degree (keep in mind your choice of specialization for the program), how do you specifically think you could apply these strengths to helping others?

e. Where in the list does the trait of spirituality rank? Are you satisfied with that ranking?

i. If so, what could you do to maximize that strength in your faith journey and ministry to others?

ii. If you are not content with the ranking of spirituality in the profile, what steps could you take to move it up to a higher level?

6. Elaborate fully in your responses.

7. While this is primarily an assessment of your own strength profile, you will want to cite the Character Strengths Profile on your reference page. You may also use additional outside sources. If you make reference to other outside sources, be sure to cite them properly in  APA Style  format in the text of your paper and in a reference page at the end.

3.2 Discussion. DSM and ADHD Diagnoses for Children

Getting Started

There’s perhaps no better way to explore the relationship between diagnosis and practice than to look at an actual condition. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions in children in the United States. It is also given a detailed explanation in the DSM-5. ADHD was re-categorized from a “disruptive behavior disorder” in the DSM-4 to a “neurodevelopmental disorder” in the DSM-5. With that re-categorization also came a change in the language of the diagnostic criteria.

In the DSM-4, there needed to be “clear evidence of  clinically significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning” to justify the diagnosis. In the DSM-5, that language has been changed to “clear evidence that the symptoms  interfere with or reduce the quality of social, academic, or occupational functioning.” In other words, the DSM-5 greatly broadens the range of behaviors that could be considered appropriate for a diagnosis of ADHD. It moves the needle from behaviors that show “clinically significant impairment” to behaviors that simply “interfere with or reduce the quality” of life.

Let’s look at a case study to explore this further. Jimmy is a 12-year-old sixth-grader who gets along well with his peers but underperforms in school. He is frequently called out by his teachers for not paying attention in class and fidgeting in his seat. He is a very creative kid who loves to draw and paint but has difficulty with reading and comprehension. If you put him in front of an interesting movie, he can sustain his attention for prolonged periods but has difficulty focusing on conversations that last more than a few minutes. According to his parents, he shows these same symptoms at home. After consulting with Jimmy’s teachers, Jimmy’s parents decide to take him to their pediatrician for a consultation. They describe his symptoms to the doctor, and the doctor agrees that Jimmy shows signs of ADHD. He prescribes Ritalin (a common stimulant used to treat ADHD) and sets a follow-up appointment to measure progress. Do Jimmy’s behaviors represent “clinically significant impairment” or behaviors that “interfere with or reduce his quality” of life?

This case study illustrates the way many children end up with the diagnosis of ADHD. The DSM-5 gives very broad latitude for more children to be considered for this diagnosis. And the usual treatment is medication. A growing number of people believe that ADHD is simply a medical term attached to children who show what they would call “typical” behavior. Would the diagnosis be different if we learned that Jimmy’s parents are in the middle of a divorce and that Jimmy doesn’t have anyone at home who consistently helps him with his homework?

Diagnoses among children in the United States have more than doubled between 2005 and 2014, according to a recent 2017 study by BMC Pediatrics. Are there more diagnosed cases of ADHD because the diagnostic criteria have been broadened, or is there something going on culturally that has led to a significant spike in ADHD symptoms over the past decade? That’s what you will be discussing with your classmates in this forum.

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

· Discuss the rise in ADHD diagnoses and the efficacy of conventional medication treatment.

Resources

· Textbook:  Modern Psychopathologies: A Comprehensive Christian Appraisal

· Article: Prescription Stimulants

· Article: Challenges in Defining the Rates of ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment: Trends over the Last Decade

Background Information

Read Chapter 7 from the textbook and the two articles, “Prescription Stimulants” and “Challenges in Defining the Rates of ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment: Trends over the Last Decade,” in that order. Feel free to do additional research in preparation for the discussion if you would like to learn more about how stimulants (like Ritalin) work in a counterintuitive way to help calm those who are experiencing attention-related difficulties.

Instructions

1. Read Chapter 7, “Problems in Childhood and Adolescence,” in your textbook.

2. Read the following articles in the order presented:

a. Prescription Stimulants

b. Challenges in Defining the Rates of ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment: Trends over the Last Decade

3. Navigate to the Discussion page and respond to the following prompts:

a. What factors do you think might be contributing to the dramatic rise in ADHD diagnoses among children and adolescents?

b. What do you know about Jimmy’s current behaviors? What do you know about his family? His medical history? His past functioning?

c. If you were conducting a thorough assessment of Jimmy and his family what other areas of functioning would you address? Consider the questions within these areas:

i. Medical Conditions / Recent Injuries

ii. Medications

iii. Family Functioning

iv. Parenting

v. Peers and New Friends

vi. Past Behaviors

vii. Grades

viii. Motivating Factors

ix. Response to Discipline

x. Sleeping and Eating Habits

xi. Allergies

4. Your initial post:

a. Should be between 400 to 500 words.

b. Is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

5. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings, as well as instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.

6. Your postings should also:

a. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

b. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.