Psychopathology

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The course Psychopathology deals with disturbed, strange, unadjusted, abnormal behaviour. Important clinical pictures will be studied on the basis of a number of case studies and the results of existing experimental research, such as different anxiety disorders, eating disorders, addictions, mood disorders and psychotic disorders. Questions that will be discussed repeatedly during the course: What does the clinical picture look like? When does normal become abnormal? How often does this disorder arise? How does such a disorder develop? What can be done about it? In this respect, it is important to study why one person develops the disorder while another does not. When discussing this, students will familiarise themselves with different forms of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. What happens in this type of therapy and how effective is it? After the course, students will be familiar with the clinical picture and diagnostic criteria for the most frequent psychological disorders, as well as theories on aetiology, empirical findings that support or contradict the theory, customary treatments and effectiveness of those therapies.