Answers must be paraphrased (restated in your own words with no quoting permitted), properly source credited, using APA formatting requirements – including within-answer citations and a list of references included at the end of each answer – and at least 600 words each, not counting source citations and references. Answers should be succinct, thorough, articulated in well-organized paragraphs (lists, sentence fragments and bulleted items are not permitted), and more substantive than just definitions of terms, procedures, or issues. 

To complete these essay questions, construct your answers below each question on a separate page per question, attach a cover page to the front and a reference list to the end (references must also be placed at the end of each question for which they were used)  

Questions:

1. Choose ONE of the following questions:

A. A friend says to you, “I’m really concerned about my child [an eight-year old girl] eventually developing an eating disorder. What should I do or not do?” Explain to your friend, using research-based findings and language he or she will understand, the avoidable – and possibly unavoidable – risks for the development of anorexia or bulimia.

B. The impact of culture and gender are important factors in the development and maintenance of Substance Use Disorders. Briefly describe some of the components of each of these factors and how they might be addressed in culture- and/or gender-specific treatment programs. 

2. Accurately and appropriately diagnosing a sexual disorder or paraphilia can be among the most challenging tasks in clinical practice. Thinking about the 4 Ds as discussed in Week 1 of the course, choose ONE sexual disorder and ONE paraphilia covered in your text and discuss how applying those criteria could prove troublesome to a clinician. In addition, be sure to discuss any relevant gender and or cultural factors in terms of the diagnosis or the behavior itself.

3. Imagine you are a clinician at a community mental health clinic. Your client, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has brought his mother in so the three of you can discuss his treatment options. Using general terms the client and his mother are sure to understand, describe the various types of (a) psychotherapy and (b) medications available for the treatment of schizophrenia, the types of symptoms they each treat, and their potential limitations and risks.

4. Two of the most common – and most troubling – of the personality disorders are antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. Compare and contrast these disorders. Be sure to cover the primary symptoms, predominant causal theories, and the possibility of gender bias in the diagnosis of these disorders. Last, suggest an effective course of treatment.

5. Choose ONE of the following questions:

a. Provide some compelling evidence that children aren’t simply “small adults” and that some separate diagnostic categories are necessary to accurately capture their psychological experience.

b. Psychological problems of the elderly can be divided into two groups: those that are unique to them and those that they share with other age groups. Discuss disorders of these two groups; be sure to indicate how disorders that occur in persons of all ages are nevertheless different in the elderly.