PSY 101 - Chap.

12 Homework - Mental Health in College Students/ Mental Health Treatments

You have two options for completing this homework, either focusing on the experience for a college
student or discussing treatment options.

Option 1.

Many colleges are reporting an increased incidence of psychological disorders among their
students in today’s world. For this assignment, first read the following article about trends in
college mental health: https://www.jedfoundation.org/students-with-mental-troubles-on-rise/

Then use at least one of the websites below to look/listen to people talk about what it feels like to
experience a psychological disorder.  You may choose from:

(a)        http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113835383

This older report on NPR from October 2009 describes some studies examining mental illness on
campus.  Scroll down and look in the center of the screen where it says “Hear Their Stories”; then
choose one of the options to hear an essay written by a student who has had mental illness.

Or

(b)   http://www.halfofus.com/

At the top, click on GET THE FACTS to see a list of the disorders covered here.  Then click on
one of these and scroll down the page to see videos related to this topic.

You may also use either the video on depression or schizophrenia available on our MyCourses
page.

Based on what you read and what you hear or see from these links, write an essay describing what
you learn about this diagnosis.  What are the symptoms common to the disorder you have
chosen?  What might it feel like to have this disorder?  How might a roommate or resident advisor
know if another student were suffering from this disorder?  What seems most challenging about
having this disorder while in college?  What are the best options for treating this disorder?  Your
answers to these questions should be in essay format, about two pages in length.

Option 2.
There are many possible treatments for psychological disorders which we've talked about in class. 
Many are also listed in Chapter 13 on Therapies in your textbook.  For this option, select any two
therapies from the following list:

 Psychoanalysis
 Client-centered therapy
 desensitization and exposure therapies
 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
  Drug therapy - antidepressants
 Drug therapy - antipsychotic therapies
 Electroconvulsive Therapy

For each of the two you choose, describe the therapy and how it works. Which perspective (behavioral,
cognitive, psychodynamic, humanistic, or physiological) does this treatment fall under? What are the
outcomes for this treatment (how well does it work)? Which disorder(s) does this treatment work best
for?
After answering those questions, imagine you have a friend who has a choice between these two
therapies: which would you recommend for them and why? What problems do you think this therapy is
best for? You may use your textbook plus one additional outside source for this comparison (scholarly
articles are preferred).  Write up your answers to all of these questions in about 1-2 pages or so, making
the sources you used clear (in an APA or MLA citation).