NURS 6355 - Advanced Pathophysiology of Mental Illness

Theoretical mechanisms underlying mental disorders are explored. Psychiatric illness is examined as an interplay between psychological and physical events with causative factors which vary for each individual and by specific disorders. Course content is organized with consideration of integration of first person (subjective phenomenology and qualitative approaches) and third person (brain physiology and objective measures). Students will consider mental illness from the perspective of clients and then explore contemporary research related to brain function and psychiatric disorders. An attempt will be made to provide students with the latest neuroscientific findings underlying disorders.