Dr. Ron Kleinknecht
Department of Psychology,
Office :
Office Hours:
Class room:
Phone:
E-mail:
Web site
About me:
About you:
AI 186
1:00 – 2:30 Tuesday and Thursday
AI 194
650-3944
Ronald.kleinknecht@wwu.edu
http://myweb.facstaff.wwu.edu/knecht/
Purposes and goals
 Prerequisites: 210, 250, 303, 351 with C- or better
 Examine in depth,
 selected mental disorders including their description,
etiologies, consequences, treatments,
 how these specific disorders affect and/or are
affected by physical conditions and disorders.
 links between physical and mental disorders
 the various psychological, emotional, and physical systems
and mechanisms that mediate psychological and physical
conditions.
Goals continued
 The seminar goal then is to understand how mental, emotional,
and physiologic processes are really part of single system that is
the human body.
 Causal mechanisms of disorders can go either direction:
 Mental/
 Emotional
physical
 anxiety
CHD, hives, irritable Bowel
 depression
headache, chronic pain
 Schizophrenia
dementia, Viral infections
Assignment
 conduct a literature review and provide oral, in class




reports on
In-depth analysis of a chosen psychological disorders and
how it causes or affects and/or is affected by a physical
disorder
you will need to understand the mechanism by which our
physical bodies can affect our mental and emotional states
and how our mental/emotional states can affect us
physically.
Explore unanswered questions about these mechanisms
and
Outline a research study that might give us a greater
understanding
Course Structure and Policies:
 Attendance & Participation: attendance is required as is
active participation and discussion and contributions to
the class. (Excuses for Swine flu from Student Health
Center or private Physician)
 Policy on plagiarism: Any evidence that the work you
report or turn in is not solely your own production will
result in a failing grade. (See Catalog, Appendix D, p. 398)
 Presentations and written Final Paper: There will be two or
three short in-class presentations of your work as the
course proceeds culminating in a final class presentation
and a final written paper.
Paper Structure:
 Pose your research question: “How does X cause, contribute, lead to… Y”
The Disorder:



Describe essential features and diagnostic criteria of the disorder (DSM-IV)
Epidemiology
Review and evaluate theories of etiology – learning, genetics, disease…
 What physical disorder/s or conditions have been shown to be a function, in
whole or in part of the mental disorder?
 Describe the physical disorders, review literature and evaluate it.
 What treatments are effective for this disorder?
 Review literature and critique and evaluate its quality.
 Does treatment resolving the mental disorder also resolve the physical or vice versa?
 How solid is the research?
 What questions remain to be explored concerning the relationship between the
psychological and physical conditions?
 Design a study to examine one of the questions
Guest Speakers
 Dr. James Harle, M.D., Child Psychiatrist (Oct. 22)
 Dr. Jeffery Steger, Ph.D. Clinical Medical Psychologist
 Dr. Bill Mahoney, Ph.D. Social Psychologist &
Medical researcher
 Dr. Ian Thompson, MD. Director of St. Joseph’s
Hospital Cancer Center
Stepping Stone Project
 Opportunity to participate in a ground breaking
clinical study designed to reduce frequency of elderly
patients reentering the hospital following a hospital
stay.
 Serve as patient coaches
 Training (October 15th or 20th)
 3 hrs./week commitment
 Who would like to do this?
Class Schedule
 September:
 24
Introduction and overview of class and assignment:
 29
The Nature of Diagnosis and Mechanisms of psychological
disorder causing or impacting physical disorder and physical disorder
causing or impacting psychological disorder.
 October
 1
 6
 8
 12
 15
 20
 22
 26
Example:
Blood, Injury, Injection Phobia
Dr. Mahoney - stepping stones project and Patient activation
Psychological consequences of Cancer diagnosis and treatment Dr. Ian Thompson
Class topics – brief reports on direction (5 - 10 min.)
Dr. Jeff Steger, Chronic Pain and Psychological Disorder
Guest 0r (my report on immune system conference)
Dr. James Harle: Children’s Mental and physical health
For Now…
 Explore your subjects …