Psychological Disorders – Critical Evaluation of Research Evidence, Diagnostic Process, Causative

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria specific to this module

Learning outcomes and assessment criteria specific to this module:

1. Consider and critically evaluate the evidence used in psychological research into mental or psychological disorders.
2. Critically evaluate how a range of psychological disorders or mental disorders can impact on the individual’s thinking, functioning and behaviour.
3. Critically evaluate the explanation of causative factors and treatments of psychological or mental disorders using evidence-based research and relevant psychological perspectives.
4. Explain and appraise the diagnosis and assessment process of psychological or mental disorders

Rationale for method 
In line with the first three learning outcomes, this assessment is designed to develop your understanding of psychological disorders. You will be required to explain the diagnosis process and critically appraise the psychological perspectives and appropriate treatments. This will implicitly allow you to cover how psychological disorders can impact on the individual’s thinking, functioning and behaviour, as well as how evidence plays a central role in our understanding of the diagnosis, aetiology (causes) and treatment of a psychological disorder. 
In line with the programme philosophy, these pieces of work will assess your writing skills, appraisal skills and problem-solving skills.   
For the essay, the student chooses one disorder from the list provided (see Moodle) to answer one of the following questions:.
Question 1:
For one psychological disorder, critically discuss whether the biological approach or biopsychosocial approach provides the most appropriate explanations for both the aetiology (causative factors) and diagnosis for these mental disorders.
Guidance:
In this essay, you need to consider what we know about the biological and biopsychosocial approaches in order to evaluate the relative strengths of their explanation of the causes, diagnosis and assessment of your chosen disorder.
You will also need to consider how well each approach is able to take account of the role that individual differences play in each of these areas. 
In order to do achieve a higher mark in this essay, you should draw comparisons from across the course to evaluate whether what we know about these issues is more developed for some disorders than in others and to identify the weak points where one or both of the approaches needs to provide more information. 
You should take an evaluative approach, assessing the contributions of biological, and biopsychosocial perspectives to understanding of psychological disorder.
The word limit is 2000 words.
You are expected to write critically and in an evaluative manner providing references throughout the essay to support your written work.

Question 2: 
Critically discuss the aetiology (causes) and diagnosis and treatment of one psychological disorder. Your answer must include biological, cognitive and social perspectives.
Guidance: 
In this essay, you need to consider what we know about the prevalence, causes, diagnosis and treatment of one disorder, including the role that individual differences play in each of these areas. 
In order to do achieve a higher mark in this essay, you should draw comparisons from across the course to evaluate where similarities and differences appear in the process of diagnosis and treatment for these disorders. 
You should take an evaluative approach, assessing the contributions of biological, cognitive (psychological), and social perspectives to understanding of psychological disorder.