PSY 219 - Mental and Brain Health

This course examines how definitions of mental health and disorder shape research, diagnosis, and care. Students will compare diagnostic, symptom-focused approaches that emphasize impairment with dimensional and transdiagnostic models that better capture heterogeneity and changing trajectories over time. The course integrates multiple levels of analysis, considering how explanations and interventions shift when attention moves from brain and behavior to social environment, culture, and systems of care. Students will develop skills in evaluating claims about “brain-based” mechanisms by weighing the strengths and limitations of neuroscience evidence, identifying hidden assumptions, and recognizing how oversimplified narratives can distort scientific findings and clinical decision-making. By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate and apply major frameworks to real-world cases and research questions.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group III
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Use and evaluate quantitative data or modeling, or use logical/mathematical reasoning to evaluate, test or prove statements.
Given a problem or question, formulate a hypothesis or conjecture, and design an experiment, collect data, or use mathematical reasoning to test or validate it.