Page 495 - Understanding Psychology

Psychology Projects
1. What Are Psychological Disorders? Find out how psychological disorders were viewed in the past. You might focus on the views of ancient Greeks and of Europeans during the Middle Ages. Find out what were thought to be the causes of certain psychological disorders and how people with these disorders were treated. Summarize your findings in a brief report.
2. Anxiety Disorders Research magazine articles about programs available to help people com- bat certain phobias. For example, you might find out about classes that airlines provide to help people overcome their fear of flying. Summarize your findings in an informational pamphlet. Use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.
3. Mood Disorders The artist Vincent van Gogh suffered from a mood disorder. Find out how his disorder affected his work. You might provide examples of paintings that were created when he was psychologically healthy and those that were created when he was suffering from the disorder. Create a biography of 1–5 pages that details your findings.
4. Personality Disorders and Drug Addiction
Contact a drug rehabilitation center for informa- tion about drug treatment programs in your community. If possible, have a qualified person from the center address the class about the kinds of treatment programs available. You might pre- pare a list of questions in advance to ask the speaker.
Assessment
30
250 15 10 5 0
Technology Activity
Locate Web sites on the Internet
about some of the psychological dis- orders discussed in this chapter, such as anxiety dis- orders or mood disorders. Find out about the latest methods of diagnosing and treating these disorders.
Present your findings in a written report.
Psychology Journal
Read the working definition that you wrote
in your journal at the start of Chapter 16. Revise the definition based on your study of the chapter, and write a paragraph describing a specific phobia.
Building Skills
Interpreting a Graph Review the graph at right, then answer the questions that follow.
See the Skills Handbook, page 628, for an explanation of interpreting graphs.
Practice and assess key social
studies skills with Glencoe Skillbuilder Interactive Workbook CD-ROM, Level 2.
Reported Anxiety Disorders in the United States, 1999
Social phobia Specific phobia
5% Generalized anxiety 5% Agoraphobia
4% Panic
3% Obsessive-compulsive disorder Source: Plotnik, Introduction to Psychology, 1999.
25% Any anxiety disorder
13%
1. According to the graph, what is the most com- mon anxiety disorder reported in the United States?
2. What percentage of the United States population reports any anxiety disorder?
3. Do you think that suffering from an anxiety dis- order is a common occurrence? Explain.
11%
Chapter 16 / Psychological Disorders 481