Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Psychopathology in Childhood and Adolescence
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Introduction
The aim of the subject CHILD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY is to acquire the necessary knowledge to identify, understand and diagnose the main mental disorders that can occur in childhood and adolescence.
The aetiology of these disorders is usually multicausal, with an interaction between different biological, psychological and social factors that students should take into account.
It is also intended that students learn to make the differential diagnosis of different mental disorders in childhood and adolescence, and to differentiate psychopathology from evolutionary normality.
Pre-course requirements
Having taken the course of Introduction to Psychopathology and Evolutionary Psychology.
Objectives
General objectives:
- To acquire knowledge about the current diagnostic classifications used in clinical practice.
- To understand the different mental disorders that occur in childhood and adolescence.
Specific objectives:
- To acquire the terminology related to child and adolescent psychopathology.
- To differentiate between normal evolutionary stage vs pathology.
- To understand and know in depth the different psychopathological disorders that can occur in childhood and adolescence.
- To learn to make the differential diagnosis of each disorder.
- To know and identify the diagnostic criteria of each disorder and its main clinical manifestations according to age.
- To establish the epidemiology of the disorder, comorbidity and the course of each psychopathological disorder.
- To understand and know the risk factors, the biological bases and the main etiological theories of each psychopathological disorder.
- To know how to apply the knowledge acquired in the resolution of practical cases.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CB02 - Students must know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner and have competences that are usually demonstrated through the creation and defence of arguments and the solving of problems within their field of study.
- CB04 - Students must be able to convey information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- CB05 - Students must have developed the necessary learning skills to undertake subsequent studies with a high degree of autonomy.
- CE02 - The ability to write reports on the results obtained during the evaluation process using Psychology-specific language.
- CE03 - The ability to make adequate decisions about what Psychology-specific methods and measuring instruments to use in each situation or evaluation context.
- CE04 - Know the principles and procedures of psychological intervention.
- CE05 - Design and apply a psychological intervention strategy depending on the context or service requested.
- CE08 - Awareness of the professional reality of psychologists in a specific field of application.
- CE09 - The ability to identify the biological basis of the functions of Psychology and human behaviour, with an understanding of how they work and their influence on other aspects of a person.
- CE12 - The ability to explain and identify the main stages of human development, recognise their progression and identify the characteristic signs and symptoms of the most frequent psychological conditions in each stage of development.
- CE14 - The ability to recognise the basis of normal and altered human behaviour.
- CE16 - The ability to communicate evaluations in a critical, well-founded manner, respecting the ethical commitment involved in disseminating psychological knowledge.
- CE18 - The ability to identify the structures and processes involved in basic psychological functions and recognise the nature of individual differences.
- CG01 - Capacity for critical and creative thinking, and capacity to investigate and adopt a scientific and ethical approach in distinct professional settings.
- CG03 - The ability to read scientific literature in a critical, well-founded manner, take into account its provenance, situate it within an epistemological framework and identify and contrast its contributions in relation to the disciplinary knowledge available.
- CG04 - The ability to respect and enforce the code of ethics and act ethically in all activities related to the practice of the profession.
- CG06 - Flexibility, respect and discretion in the use of data corresponding to people, groups and organisations.
- CG08 - The capacity to interpret the content and scope of the information received or requested, orally or in writing, and process it appropriately according to the nature of the matter at hand.
- CG09 - The ability to integrate psychological knowledge and developments into professional practice.
- CG11 - Recognition, understanding and respect for the complexity of multicultural diversity.
- CG13 - The ability to use information and communication technologies for distinct purposes.
- CT01 - The capacity to organise and plan.
- CT02 - The capacity to solve problems.
- CT03 - The capacity for analysis and synthesis.
- CT04 - The capacity to work in a team
- CT05 - The ability to reason and assess situations and results from a critical, constructive point of view.
- CT07 - The capacity to learn autonomously
- CT08 - The ability to put theoretical knowledge into practice
- CT09 - The ability to communicate adequately, both orally and in writing
- CT10 - The ability to communicate in a foreign language
Learning outcomes of the subject
Once the student has finished the course, they should be able to:
1. Learn the diagnostic methodology used in clinical practice.
2. Identify the different mental disorders that can occur during childhood and adolescence, based on knowing the characteristics of the disorders at different ages.
3. Know the diagnostic symptoms of each of the mental disorders studied.
4. Be able to make a differential diagnosis and differentiate psychopathology from evolutionary normality.
5. Know the main aetiology of each disorder.
6. Identify risk and protection factors in relation to child and adolescent mental health problems according to age and gender, and the impact they generate.
7. Identify the factors that maintain the problem behaviour.
8. Acquire historical knowledge about the evolution of mental disorders in children and adolescents.
9. Identify and analyse the impact and consequences on the family and psychosocial environment of health problems and mental illness.
10. Establish a clinical diagnosis from working with clinical cases, learning to formulate and justify / argue their hypotheses in an appropriate way.
11. Be able to integrate the different knowledge and face the complexity of formulating
Syllabus
1. Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Intellectual disability
× Intellectual disability
× Global delay in development
× Unspecified Intellectual Disability
- Communication disorders
× Language disorder
× Phonological disorder
× Childhood Onset Fluidity Disorder
× Social communication disorder
× Unspecified communication disorder
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
× Other specified attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder
× Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, unspecified
- Specific learning disorder
- Motor disorders
× Desarrollo Coordination development disorder
× Stereotypic movement disorder
× Tic disorder: Giles la Tourette Disorder
× Persistent motor or vocal tic disorder
× Transient tic disorder
× Another specified tic disorder
× Unspecified tic disorder
2. Spectrum of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
- Brief psychotic disorder
- Schizophreniform disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Substance-induced psychotic disorder
3. Depressive disorders
- Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
- Major depression disorder
4. Anxiety disorders
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Selective mutism
- Specific phobia: animal, natural, situational, injection-blood-wounds, nyctophobia, school phobia
- Social anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
-Generalised anxiety disorder
5. Obsessive-compulsive disorder and related disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Trichotillomania
- Excoriation disorder
6. Trauma-related disorders and stressors
- Reactive attachment disorder
- Disinhibited social relationship disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Acute stress disorder
7. Disorders of eating behaviour and food intake
- Pica
- Rumination disorder
- Food intake avoidance / restriction disorder
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Disorder of eating behaviour or food intake unspecified
8. Disorders of excretion
- Enuresis
- Encopresis
- Excretion disorder, unspecified
9. Sleep-wake disorders
- Childhood insomnia
- Parasomnias
× Nightmares
× Night terrors
× Sleepwalking
10. Disruptive, impulse control and behavioural disorders
- Defiant negativistic disorder
- Conduct Disorder
11. Other problems that may be the subject of clinical attention
- Child abuse, sexual abuse, parental alienation, bullying
Teaching and learning activities
In person
The master class is the context dedicated to learning and using the linguistic terminology of the field of study. The different oral and written communication skills will be practiced, and it will be a stage where they will learn to become familiar with bibliography and supporting teaching material related to the subject.
Case study is a learning method in which students are confronted with the description of several cases with a specific situation that poses a problem. This problem situation must be analyzed and solved in a group to learn to work in a team as it is done in clinical practice with multidisciplinary teams. To solve it, the students in the group must communicate with each other, assess and discuss the different hypotheses that each one poses and reach an argued agreement. For this reason, the case study prepares the student for decision-making and teaches him to defend his arguments and to contrast them with the other members of the group.
The reading of texts autonomously by the students intends that they develop critical thinking and deepen the content worked on in the master class to favor a better integration of the contents.
The non-face-to-face activity has the objective of the student working autonomously, without the presence of the teacher. This causes the student to have to make a greater effort, learning to develop the will for constant updating, a key aspect in our profession.
Methodology
The methodology of this subject combines master classes with international seminars. Audio-visual contents will also be presented so that the students become familiar with the different mental disorders and clinical cases specifically designed so that the students can put into practice the knowledge acquired in the subject will be presented.
In the master classes the teacher presents to the students the course contents based on the most current scientific evidence and on the teacher's own clinical experience. Numerous examples of daily clinical practice will be explained. The student must interact and actively participate.
International seminars will deal with completely new topics and will be taught by professors and doctors in clinical psychology from prestigious universities in the United States. The presentations will give rise to a debate between all the students in which they will be able to interact with the international teacher.
In case work, a real clinical case seen in consultation will be presented, with the identification data modified to ensure confidentiality. The sociodemographic data of the patient, the reason for the consultation and the symptoms presented at the time of the interview will be presented. The student will have to carefully read the case and begin to consider diagnostic hypotheses of the case based on the symptoms that they consider most relevant. Finally, the student will have to analyse the different diagnostic hypotheses proposed and assess which one would best explain the patient's symptoms.
The course requires the student both individual and autonomous work and in small groups.
| TRAINING ACTIVITY |
| Project-oriented learning is a method based on experiential and reflective learning in which the process of researching a particular subject matter proves very important, with the aim of resolving complex problems based on open solutions or addressing complicated issues that enable students to generate new knowledge and develop new skills. Lectures will be the setting in which students will learn and use the terminology and linguistic structures related to the sphere of study, for the purpose of practising and developing oral and written communication skills and becoming familiar with the literature and instruction materials provided to better integrate the curricular content. Case studies are a learning technique in which the subject is given the description of a specific situation that poses a problem, which must be understood, assessed and resolved by a group of people through discussion. Case studies are generally resolved in groups to promote student participation and develop their critical thinking skills. They also prepare students to make decisions, teaching them how to back up their arguments and contrast them with the opinions of the other group members. The guided reading of texts aims to develop the students’ critical thinking skills, which play a fundamental role in creating citizens who are both aware and responsible. A non-classroom activity that helps students consolidate their knowledge, something that is always necessary before starting a new task. The exercises provided and problems posed by the lecturer help students make headway in their academic career, and, guided by the lecturer, the students succeed in achieving short-term goals which facilitate the integration of theoretical knowledge. A non-classroom activity in which students undertake exercises autonomously, without the presence of the lecturer/professor. This is the stage in which most questions arise, but, as the option to immediately ask the question does not exist, students are forced to make an additional effort. |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The active attendance of the student to the class shows the degree of involvement and interest in the subject taught, as well as the interaction with the teacher and with other classmates.
The final exam will consist of an individual written test type that brings together the most general and relevant aspects of the subject to be evaluated. It will assess the students' ability to understand the main ideas of the content taught and the specific concepts of the different areas of the subject. On the other hand, the written test will also evaluate the recommended bibliography and literature.
The group work of cases is mandatory and will help them to promote the convergence of ideas and common proposals in order to carry out a project taking into account the interpersonal and intrapersonal skills of students and cooperative work. In addition, it will promote the critical and argumentative capacity of the students, and will favour the development of analysis strategies and case resolution.
Assessment criteria
The final mark for the course is calculated based on:
• Final exam: 65%. There will be a written test with multiple choice questions based on the PIR exam.
• Case study: 25%
• Participation: 10%. Attendance and participation in the different activities carried out in class.
It is essential to pass the final exam with a grade equal to or greater than 5 to pass the course and to be able to take an average.
The exam is a test type and each question consists of four alternatives. Each correct answer equals one-point, incorrect answers subtract 0.25 points (level of chance control) and omissions do not subtract.
Evaluation period
- E1 10/01/2022 I3 10:00h