Psychological Disorders: An Introduction



Overview

This online day school will explain theories about the origins of psychological disorders. It will present symptoms and syndromes with reference to categorical systems such as the DSM-5 and the ICD10-11. We will discuss historical perspectives, with explanation from a range of perspectives including biological, psychological and social explanations of each of the disorders.

The day will concentrate on the following disorders: anxiety disorders (phobias, OCD, PTSD), depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia). Each of these will be explained with inclusion of clinical case studies, in conjunction with information from the DSM-5 to highlight main theories of causation and treatment.

The day will explain current treatment practices, with information about psychopharmacological treatments (antidepressants, antipsychotics), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and psychotherapy.

Please note: due to the nature of the contents of this day, this is not suitable for people under 18 years old.

Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 UTC on 4 March 2024.

Programme details

All times UK times, GMT (UTC)

10am
How do we define abnormality? The DSM & ICD

11.15am
Break

11.35am
An introduction to the anxiety disorders: phobias, OCD, PTSD

1pm
Lunch break

2pm
Thinking about mood disorders: depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

3.15pm
Break

3.45pm
Explaining eating disorders: anorexia and bulimia

5pm
Day ends

Fees

Description Costs
Tuition fee £90.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit or are a full-time student in the UK you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees.

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Anna Scarna

Dr Anna Scarnà is a psychologist who is interested in language, personality traits, and psychological disorders. Her research has been on non-drug treatments for mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder, and autism in females. Anna's most recent work has involved the occurrence of trauma in chimpanzees who were taught sign language and she has written two books about Nim Chimpsky: Primatology, Ethics and Trauma (2023) and Trauma in Sentient Beings: Nature, Nurture, and Nim (2024), both published by Routledge.

IT requirements

The University of Oxford uses Microsoft Teams for our learning environment, where students and tutors will discuss and interact in real time. Joining instructions will be sent out prior to the start date. We recommend that you join the session at least 10-15 minutes prior to the start time – just as you might arrive a bit early at our lecture theatre for an in-person event.

If you have not used the Microsoft Teams app before, once you click the joining link you will be invited to download it (this is free). Once you have downloaded the app, please test before the start of your course. If you are using a laptop or desktop computer, you will also be offered the option of connecting using a web browser. If you connect via a web browser, Chrome is recommended.

Please note that this course will not be recorded.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support