Psychotic Disorders

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This course deals with disorders of processes involving perception and thinking. In films or books, psychotic characters usually display bizarre and unpredictable behaviours that people have difficulty identifying with. Therefore, most people feel uncomfortable around someone who is (or has been) diagnosed as suffering from a psychotic disorder.

The aim of this course is to make psychotic disorders more relatable and understandable for students. It aims to allow them to view such disorders within the context of experiences they are familiar with. In principle, anyone can become psychotic, but some people are more prone to becoming so than others, and in some people such disorders are more likely to become chronic. More specifically, students will develop an in-depth knowledge of the relationship between psychotic disorders and violent behaviour, including its intersection with substance use problems. This knowledge will be gained through considering questions such as ‘Can we argue that psychotic patients have an increased risk to become violent? If so, does that relate to specific symptomatology, such as hearing voices telling you to do certain things? Is itpossibe to feign symptoms of a psychotic disorder?’

This course examine psychosis from many theoretical perspectives, and students will be expected to delve into the various theories while developing an understanding of their strengths and limitations.