Mental Health: What We Know Now (and What We Don’t)
Catherine Sanderson is the Poler Family Professor and former Chair of Psychology at Amherst College and is often cited as the school’s most popular professor. Her research has received grant funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. She has published over 25 journal articles in addition to three college textbooks. In 2012, she was named one of the country’s “Top 300 Professors” by the Princeton Review.
Overview
More than half of Americans will experience a psychological disorder at some point in their life, and virtually all of us have some symptoms of mental illness. This talk will examine how psychologists classify different types of psychological disorders–including anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression–and discuss the leading theories explaining the development of these disorders. Perhaps most importantly, we’ll explore different approaches to treatment, including talk therapy, drug therapy, and group-based approaches.