Learn to identify common categories of psychological disorder and their causes, and how they can affect a person\'s behaviour.

This course considers whether an individual's behaviour is within what is considered "normal" within society or "abnormal". This course will be of benefit to anyone who is interested in the workings of the human mind - counsellors, teachers, social workers, youth workers, support workers, carers etc. It will develop their ability to identify psychological disorders, and determine when to refer clients for treatment. The course will also be of interest to anyone who wants to understand more about common psychological disorders, their causes and treatment.

Suggested Prior Learning: Introduction to Psychology

There are 11 lessons in this course:

1. Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence
2. Delirium, Dementia, Amnesic and Other Cognitive Disorders
3. Substance-Related Disorders
4. Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
5. Mood Disorders
6. Anxiety Disorders
7. Somatoform, Factitious, and Dissociative Disorders
8. Sexual and Gender Identity Disorder
9. Eating and Sleep Disorders
10. Impulse-Control Disorders; Adjustment Disorder
11. Personality Disorders

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school\'s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

• Identify disorders first prevalent under 18 years of age;
• Describe how you would diagnose a case of suspected Autism in a child of 4 years of age;
• Compare and contrast delirium and dementia;
• Do an internet search for images of PET scans and MRI of brains affected by delirium or dementia include the images an essay discussing these disorders;
• Distinguish between substance abuse disorders and substance dependence disorders;
• Differentiate between psychotic disorders;
• Describe briefly the subtypes of Schizophrenia;
• Distinguish between Unipolar disorders and Bipolar disorders;
• Outline a cognitive model of depression;
• Describe different types of Anxiety Disorders;
• Develop a treatment to overcome a client’s fear of spiders;
• Distinguish between Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders;
• Explain the primary criticisms of dissociative identity disorder;
• Provide a diagnosis of a case study and justify your diagnosis;
• Discuss Gender Identity Disorder, Paraphilias and Sexual Dysfunction;
• Explain what distinguishes a preference of sexual act or object as a paraphilia;
• Identify Eating Disorders and Sleep Disorders;

To learn how to enrol click here