Special Subjects on Adult Psychopathology

Recommended Prerequisites

It is recommended that students have successfully completed the Systemic and Dynamic models curricular units (third year of the Integrated Master Degree).     

Teaching Methods

This course will employ an expository teaching method (used in theory classes), active teaching-learning methodologies (used in practical classes) and tutorials. The active teaching-learning methodologies include case studies of patients undergoing psychotherapy as well as teaching videos about specific psychopathological disorders, role playing exercises focused on developing specific skills and the compilation of a final portfolio about a specific issue on dynamic psychopathology.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the unit, students should be able to:

* know the principal psychopathological models including organics, descriptive, phenomenological and psychoanalytic models

* Understand the issues related with the "categorical" versus "dimensional" models in psychopathology

* know the main disturbances in adult psychopathology (including personality disorders) 

* Develop the skills and competencies related with psychopathological diagnosis and reports, using the DSM-IV TR, the I.C.D.-10 and the structural diagnosis using the analytical models;

* Perform clinical reports

* Develop the necessary skills to conduct clinical interviews and diagnosis evaluation with adult patients;

* Develop a reflexive long life learning attitude.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. Historical introduction to psychopathology: the organicist, descriptive, phenomenological and psychoanalytical models,

2. The descriptive classification systems and the dynamic perspective,

3. Normality and pathology in psychopathology: trauma, crisis and disorders (descriptivist and comprehensive -analytical- models),

4. Anxiety and neurotic personality organisation (neurosis and psychoanalysis),

5. Depression and psychoanalysis (from Freud to Bowlby). 

6. Psychosis.

6.1 Schizophrenia .

6.2 Schizoaffective disorders.

6.3 Other forms of psychosis (acute psychotic episodes or brief psychotic disorder, induced psychosis).

7. Personality disorders.

7.1 Schizoid and schizotypy personality disorders.

7.2 Delinquency and psychopathology: borderline, anti-social and psychopathic personalities

8. Suicide acting

9. Drug addiction: main conceptualisations

Head Lecturer(s)

Rui Alexandre Paquete Paixão

Assessment Methods

Periodic assessment
C test - test based on a case study presented in class: 30.0%
B test - individual portfolio, finished and presented at the end of the curricular unit: 30.0%
A test - final written examination: 40.0%

Final assessment
Exam: 100.0%

Bibliography

Barlow, D. H., & Durand, V. M. (2005). Abnormal psychology: An integrative approach (4th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Berrios, GE (1996). The history of mental symptoms: descriptive psychopathology since the nineteenth century. Cambridge [England]; New York [USA]: Cambridge University Press

Coelho, R. (2004.) Depressão: perspectiva psicodinâmica. Lisboa, Porto, Coimbra: LIDEL.

Dalery, J. & d'Amato, T. (2001). A Esquizofrenia: investigações actuais e perspectivas. Lisboa: Climepsi

Director, L. (2005). Encounters with Omnipotence in the Psychoanalysis of Substance Users. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 15 (4), 567-586.

Millon, T;  Krueger, RF;  Simonsen, E (2010). Contemporary directions in psychopathology. New York: Guilford Press

Paixão, R. (2002). Manual de Psicopatologia, Vol. II, Coimbra: FPCE-UC

Piers, C. (2010). Personality and psychopathology. New York; London: Springer

Shapiro, D. (2000). Dynamics of character : self-regulation in psychopathology. New York: BasicBooks