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Article 1: Corrigan, P., Druss, B., & Perlick, D. (2014). The Impact of Mental Illness Stigma on Seeking and Participating in Mental Health Care. Psychological Science In The Public Interest, 15(2), 37-70.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the four fundamental spheres of human psychology that the author describes?
2.  What are the dimensions of stigma that are described in this article?
3.  Summarize the ways in which the Affordable Care Act may reduce barriers for seeking and receiving mental health care for those in need.
    

Article 2: Draguns, J. (1973). Comparisons of Psychopathology  Across Cultures: Issues, Findings, Directions. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 4(1), 9-47. 

Questions to Consider:

1. Summarize the general methodological problems Draguns addresses in this article. How do these methodological problems impact the results and conclusions made in cross-cultural studies of psychopathology?
2. How might cross-cultural research on psychopathology better inform our understanding of psychopathology?
3.  Summarize the main conclusions Draguns made regarding psychopathology across cultures.

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Article 1: An Introduction to Evolutionary Developmental Psychology

Abstract: Evolutionary developmental psychology represents a synthesis of modern evolutionary theory and developmental psychology. Here we introduce the special issue on evolutionary developmental psychology by briefly discussing the history of this field and then summarizing the variety of topics that are covered. In this special issue, leading researchers provide a collection of theoretical and empirical articles that highlight recent findings and propose promising areas for future research.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why have there historically been tensions between evolutionary theory and developmental psychology?
2. How does the developmental systems approach resolve this tension?
3. How does the field of developmental psychology inform our understanding of psychopathology?
    

Article 2: Identification of Genes Influencing a Spectrum of Externalizing Psychopathology

Abstract: Alcohol dependence, drug dependence, childhood conduct disorder, and adult antisocial behavior commonly occur in combination. Data from multiple literatures, including twin/family studies and electrophysiological studies, suggest that the overlap of these disorders is largely due to a shared genetic liability that contributes to a spectrum of externalizing psychopathology. These findings suggest that some genes will not be specific to any one externalizing disorder but will predispose individuals broadly to a spectrum of externalizing psychopathology. Here we review evidence for specific, identified genes, GABRA2 and CHRM2, that follow this pattern and confer risk for a spectrum of externalizing disorders. These findings confirm the etiological structure of psychopathology suggested by psychological research and suggest exciting new roles that psychologists can play in understanding the pathways underlying associations between genes and behavior.

Questions to Consider:

1. How have  twin/family studies and electrophysiological studies helped us understand the genetic contribution to externalizing disorders?
2. What role do GABRA2 and CHRM2 play in the development of externalizing disorders?
3. What new roles can psychologists can play in understanding the pathways underlying associations between genes and behavior?

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Article 1: Understanding Psychopathology: Melding Behavior Genetics, Personality, and Quantitative Psychology to Develop an Empirically Based Model

Abstract: Research on psychopathology is at a historical crossroads. New technologies offer the promise of lasting advances in our understanding of the causes of human psychological suffering. Making the best use of these technologies, however, requires an empirically accurate model of psychopathology. Much current research is framed by the model of psychopathology portrayed in current versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Although the modern DSMs have been fundamental in advancing psychopathology research, recent research also challenges some assumptions made in the DSM—for example, the assumption that all forms of psychopathology are well conceived of as discrete categories. Psychological science has a critical role to play in working through the implications of this research and the challenges it presents. In particular, behavior-genetic, personality, and quantitative-psychological research perspectives can be melded to inform the development of an empirically based model of psychopathology that would constitute an evolution of the DSM.

Questions to Consider:

1. In what ways does current research challenge the DSM-5?
2. What are the implications of this research?
3. How can different perspectives be integrated into a new model of psychopathology?
    

Article 2: Enlightened or Delusional? Differentiating Religious, Spiritual, and Transpersonal Experiences from Psychopathology

Questions to Consider:

1. What are some of the challenges inherent to distinguishing psychopathology from religious/spiritual/transpersonal experiences?
2. What are some of the theoretical and pragmatic problems for these experiences in the DSM?
3. How can psychologists avoid bias when considering culturally sensitive R/S/T experiences?

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Article 1: The New Alternative DSM-5 Model for Personality Disorders: Issues and Controversies

Method: Follow the DSM revision process by monitoring the American Psychiatric Association website and the publication of pertinent journal articles.

Results: The DSM-5 PD Work Group’s proposal was not included in the main diagnostic section of the new DSM, but it was published in the section devoted to emerging models. The alternative DSM-5 PD constructs are radically different from those found in DSM, fourth edition, text revision.

Discussion: There are some positive conceptual changes in the new model, but reliability and validity are not generally improved. However, social workers may be able to benefit from the use of the personality trait domains/facets of the alternative model.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are some of the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM-5?
2. What was the process that the DSM-5 work groups used to revise the DSM?
3. Why is it that reliability and validity of diagnosis has not improved in this revision?
    

Article 2: Diagnosis and Characterization of DSM-5 Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder Using the Clinician-Administered Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder Index

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of a structured clinical interview?
2. Does the CANDI improve reliability and validity of the NSSID diagnosis?
3. Was the selection process for this study’s sample appropriate and sufficient for the conclusions reached?

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Article 1: Family Environment in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorders

Method: The records of 233 patients, selected for high or low scores on a scale that taps ADHD symptoms, were reviewed by three clinicians who made DSM-IV diagnoses and rated the family environment with the Global Family Environment Scale (GFES). Self-report data obtained from the parent and child versions of the Child Behaviour Checklist were also used. The quality of the family environment was then compared between the various diagnostic groups.

Results: A poorer family environment was associated with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder and predicted a worse outcome (e.g. admission to a non-psychiatric institution, drug and alcohol abuse). Quality of the family environment did not vary according to ADHD diagnosis or gender.

Conclusions: There seems to be no association between the quality of the family environment and a diagnosis of ADHD among referred adolescents. However, there is an association with conduct disorder. Interventions that improve family environment in the early years of life may prevent the development of conduct problems.

Questions to Consider:

1. What information on the Gal Family Environment Scale is important for evaluating children’s functioning?
2. What role does family environment play in the development of disruptive behavior disorders?
3. Why do the methodological shortcomings in this study limit generalizability of the results?
    

Article 2: Teachers’ interpersonal style and its relationship to emotions, causal attributions, and type of challenging behaviors displayed by students with intellectual disabilities

Questions to Consider:

1. How well does Leary’s Interpersonal Theory apply to the classroom situation in this study?
2. Why do you suppose positive emotions led to teacher willingness to support students even when teachers made stable causal attributions, in direct contradiction of Wiener’s theory?
3. Explain how the limitations of the research methodology may have impacted the study’s results.

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Article 1: Trajectories of major depression disorders: A systematic review of longitudinal neuroimaging findings

Method: We conducted a systematic review of studies published before September 2015, to identify structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies that assess the relation between neuronal alterations and MDD in longitudinal (⩾1 year) designs.

Results: Only 15 studies meeting minimal standards were identified. An analysis of these longitudinal data showed a large heterogeneity between studies regarding design, samples, imaging methods, spatial restrictions and, consequently, results. There was a strong relationship between brain-volume outcomes and the current mood state, whereas longitudinal studies failed to clarify the influence of pre-existing brain changes on depressive outcome.

Conclusion: So far, available longitudinal studies cannot resolve the causality between the course of depression and neurobiological changes over time. Future studies should combine high methodological standards with large sample sizes. Cooperation in multi-center studies is indispensable to attain sufficient sample sizes, and should allow careful assessment of possible confounders.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are some of the obstacles to studying neurobiological changes over time in those with MDD?
2. Why was it so difficult to locate studies that met minimum standards as defined by these researchers?
3. Why do longitudinal studies fail to provide information on the neurobiological trajectories of MDD?

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Article 1: Race, Gender, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the U.S. Military: Differential Vulnerabilities?

Abstract: U.S. service women were exposed to more combat-related trauma in recent wars compared to prior conflicts and consequently faced an increased risk of trauma-related mental health outcomes. In this study, we examined gender by race differences in self-reported post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and clinician diagnoses in a large sample of U.S. Black and White service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, to determine whether women overall and Black women in particular are at an increased risk of PTSD compared to Black and White men. Using three PTSD measures—two symptom-based measures assessed at different times and one diagnosis measure—we found more traumatic combat exposures were associated with higher PTSD risk for service women compared to service men, but there was no additional increase in risk of PTSD for Black females.

Questions to Consider:

1. How is it possible that black women may have a different level of risk for developing PTSD in the military, but that this risk may be higher or lower than for the general population?
2. Why is it significant that the PDHA model assesses level of symptoms several months after trauma exposure?
3. What is omitted variable bias, and how does this study work to over come this bias?
    

Article 2:  Firefighters’ Psychological and Physical Outcomes After Exposure to Traumatic Stress: The Moderating Roles of Hope and Personality

Abstract: Impacts of traumatic stress on psychological and physical outcomes were investigated in a moderated mediation model. Two groups of firefighters participated. The trauma group participated in the World Trade Center search and rescue operations in New York City, and the control group, from the same organization, worked at their regular jobs. A mediation analysis indicated that both psychological and physical indicators showed significantly higher negative reactions in the trauma group, above and beyond what might be expected from reported levels of stress exposure. A moderated mediation analysis indicated that personal resources that provided a buffer to damaging outcomes for the control group might not function effectively or may even make individuals more vulnerable under traumatic stress conditions. Implications for protective actions are discussed.

Questions to Consider:

1. Why did researchers choose to measure levels of perceived stress?
2. Might the results have been different if these measures had been given to participants several months after exposure to the traumatic event?
3. How do “shattered assumptions” impact a person’s response to a traumatic event?

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Article 1: The Effects of a Brief Acceptance-Based Behavioral Treatment Versus Traditional Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Public Speaking Anxiety: An Exploratory Trial Examining Differential Effects on Performance and Neurophysiology

Questions to Consider:

1. Why might acceptance-based treatments free more cognitive resources than traditional cognitive-behavioral treatments for individuals with public speaking anxiety?
2. Why is there such a paucity of research on the neural basis of PSA?
3. Based on what you’ve learned about the brain, why would a reduction in blood flow to the right hemisphere correspond to a reduction of PSA?
    

Article 2: Predictors of Dropout From Cognitive-Behavioral Group Treatment for Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia An Exploratory Study

Questions to Consider:

1. Why might people suffering from panic disorder with agoraphobia have difficulty remaining in treatment?
2. Why would it be important for clinicians to assess for comorbid depression when treating individuals with panic disorder with agoraphobia?
3. How do participants’ expectations going into therapy affect their likelihood for completing treatment?

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Article 1: Factitious Disorder in Intensive Care Unit: Are We Doing Enough?

Questions to Consider

1. What were some warning signs that this person might have factitious disorder, in her report of medical history?
2. Why might the risk of death be higher for people with factitious disorder than for those with psychosis?
3. How might it be beneficial to view the patient’s behavior as a form of self-harming behavior?
    

Article 2: A Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Trial of Lamotrigine in Depersonalization Disorder

Questions to Consider:

1. Why was the double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design the best research design for evaluating the effects of lamotrigine for depersonalization disorder?
2. Five patients failed to complete this study. Does this attrition rate bias the study results?
3. Why didn’t the researchers evaluate lamotrigine’s effect as an “add-on therapy” with SSRIs in this study?

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Article 1: Addressing Childhood Obesity At School Entry: Qualitative Experiences of School Health Professionals

Questions to Consider:

1. Why does obesity during childhood place people for higher risk of obesity as adults?
2. What ways can you suggest for school health professionals’ challenge of engaging parents?
3. How does the lack of a clear evidence base make it difficult for pediatric nurses to provide further treatment?
    

Article 2: Anorexia Nervosa: A Fresh Perspective

Questions to Consider:

1. What do we currently know about risk factors for anorexia?
2. How would redefining the power in the relationship between therapist and the person suffering from an eating disorder potentially change treatment effectiveness?
3. What are the ethical concerns with current treatment of people suffering from eating disorders?

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Article 1: Sexual Dysfunction and Paraphilias in the DSM-5: Pathology, Heterogeneity, and Gender

Abstract: In the forthcoming 5th Edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), as in previous editions, there are two overarching types of sexual problems. The first type is the ‘sexual dysfunctions’. Animating this category, we would argue, is a concern to address sexual experiences and behaviours understood as insufficiently intense in duration, magnitude or frequency. The disorders included in the category are thus predominantly those associated with a lack of arousal or pleasure, or which are physically inimical to penetration. The second type of sexual problem is labelled ‘the paraphilias’. DSM-5 distinguishes within the paraphilias as a diagnostic category between ‘paraphilias’ and ‘paraphilic disorders’: the former are understood as merely abnormal whereas the latter are pathological and require correction. Organising the category of the paraphilias, we would suggest, is a concern with forms of subjectivity with illegitimate objects of sexual attraction or pleasure. This ‘point of view’ article sets out to explore and explain, with swift brushstrokes, the gendered logic underlying the delineation of pathological desires, pleasures and acts in the proposed sexual dysfunctions and paraphilias. Our focus is on changes from previous editions of the DSM. We shall contend that the proposed sexual dysfunctions and paraphilias utilise, refract and ultimately naturalise troubling societal assumptions about gender.

Questions to Consider:

1. How do the differences between male and female hypoactive desire disorder reflect societal views on gender differences in sexual desire?
2. How does Foucault’s distinction between sexual desires, pleasures, and acts inform our understanding of the means with which sexual disorders are identified and categorized in the DSM-5?
3. What are the potential problems with the DSM-5 view of bisexuality?

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Article 1: Prescribing Heroin for Addiction: Some Untapped Potentials and Unanswered Questions

Abstract: The prescription of heroin to dependent users has been a distinctive feature of British drug policy for almost a century now, and in recent years the policy’s evidence-base has grown significantly. However, while the evidence for heroin assisted treatment’s effectiveness is strong it is somewhat limited by the clinical setting of the randomized control trial and thus leaves a number of important areas unexplored. This article investigates some of these through a sociological lens informed by both developments in regulatory theory and ethnographic research with a heroin-using population in north-west England. It is argued that heroin prescription has currently ‘untapped potential’ as a means of regulating heroin markets, but also that it presents a number of ‘unanswered questions’ regarding heroin’s socio-economic roles in marginalized communities and the importance of heroin-using identities.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the ethical issues with Heroin Assisted Treatment?
2. Why is the effectiveness of Heroin Assisted Treatment unclear?
3. Should psychology be involved with the regulation of heroin markets?

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Article 1: The Need for Educating Patients With Schizophrenia About the Adverse Effects of Medications

Abstract: Objective: Medication non-adherence is observed in many patients with schizophrenia. We investigated the effects of educational intervention on patient awareness of the adverse effects of their medication for patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Inpatients with schizophrenia (N=87) in two Japanese hospitals were allocated to two groups, one that was aware of the adverse effects of medications and one that was unaware, according to their responses to the question ‘In the past month, have you experienced any adverse effects from your medications?’ Then, they were questioned about adverse effects. Results: Only 27.6% of patients recognized the adverse effects of their medications. After pharmacists educated them and showed them a list of adverse effects, the prevalence of recognition increased dramatically (≤96.6%). Most patients with schizophrenia clearly did not recognize the adverse effects of their medications. When patients experienced discomfort they tended to stop taking their medications. Conclusions: Adverse effects are a common risk factor for discontinuation of medication, so early detection and reporting of such effects may result in them being addressed sooner. Considering the risks of relapse caused by discontinuation of medication, healthcare professionals should actively educate patients with schizophrenia about dysphoria and manage adverse effects.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the connection between adverse effects and non-adherence to medication regimens in people with schizophrenia?
2. Why do clinicians routinely ignore patients’ experiences while on medication?
3. Should patients be expected to suffering with adverse effects of medication?

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Article 1: The Association Between ADHD and Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): A Review

Abstract: Children with ADHD have an increased risk of later developing personality disorders and criminal behavior. The object of the present review is to analyze the associations between ADHD and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Method: A review of literature was done using EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Medline databases. Results: Eighteen prospective studies (n = 5,501) showed that ADHD with and without comorbid conduct disorder (CD) is a strong predictor for the risk of later development of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Some of the 13 cross-sectional/retrospective studies (n = 2,451) suggested that ADHD and CD might be a separate subtype of ADHD, that especially impulsivity in ADHD is a predictor for later development of ASPD, or that callous-unemotional traits in the ADHD children are called for a risk factor for later ASPD. Conclusion: There is an increased risk for children with ADHD with or without comorbid CD to develop later onset of antisocial personality disorder. (J. of Att. Dis. 2016; 20(10) 815-824)

Questions to Consider:

1. Is the developmental pathway between ADHD and later antisocial personality disorder clear? Explain why or why not.
2. How accurate is it to portray the development of antisocial personality disorder as environmentally determined?
3. What developmental pathway could explain children with ADHD who later develop ASPD without developing CD as teens?

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Article 1: Antipsychotic Use in Dementia: A Systematic Review of Benefits and Risks From Meta-Analyses

Abstract: Background: The purpose of this review is to evaluate the data on the use of antipsychotics in individuals with dementia from meta-analyses. Methods: We performed a literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Cochrane collaboration databases through 30 November, 2015 using the following keywords: ‘antipsychotics’, ‘dementia’ and ‘meta-analysis’. The search was not restricted by the age of the patients or the language of the study. However, in the final analysis we only included studies involving patients that were published in English language journals or had official English translations. In addition, we reviewed the bibliographic databases of published articles for additional studies. Results: This systematic review of the literature identified a total of 16 meta-analyses that evaluated the use of antipsychotics in individuals with dementia. Overall, 12 meta-analyses evaluated the efficacy of antipsychotics among individuals with dementia. Of these, eight also assessed adverse effects. A further two studies evaluated the adverse effects of antipsychotics (i.e. death). A total of two meta-analyses evaluated the discontinuation of antipsychotics in individuals with dementia. Overall, three meta-analyses were conducted in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) whereas one focused on individuals with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). The rest of the 12 meta-analyses included individuals with dementia. Conclusions: Antipsychotics have demonstrated modest efficacy in treating psychosis, aggression and agitation in individuals with dementia. Their use in individuals with dementia is often limited by their adverse effect profile. The use of antipsychotics should be reserved for severe symptoms that have failed to respond adequately to nonpharmacological management strategies.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the pros and cons of using antipsychotic medication for people with dementia?
2. How do you compare findings about drug efficacy across multiple studies?
3. What are the ethical issues associated with using antipsychotic medication for people with dementia?

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Article 1: The Insanity Defense: An Argument for Abolition

Abstract: This article takes an abolitionist position towards insane automatism (or ‘the insanity defence’). With particular reference to Arlie Loughnan’s concept of ‘manifest madness’, it argues that mentally ill defendants are poorly served not only by the insanity defence as currently formulated, but by any defence which focuses on their status as ‘mentally ill’ rather than the specific excusatory elements of that illness. It contends, however, that advocates for abolition should not assume that existing criminal defences are currently primed to account for those elements. What is required is a thoroughgoing reform of all criminal defences, with mentally ill and/or disordered defendants in mind, to which abolition of the insanity defence must be secondary.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the ethical issues involved with the insanity defense?
2. How does this author propose to address these ethical issues?
3. How is a “separate defence of insanity” a form of stigma?