This assignment is an analysis of a selected neuropsychological disorder. The disorder you select this week will be used to complete the Week 1 assignment (topic selection). You will continue to use the same disorder to complete the Week 2 assignment (elaboration on pharmacological management of the same disorder), and the Week 6 assignment (comprehensive Critical Review of the same disorder and its management).
Your completed Week 1 and Week 2 assignments will be used as a foundation to help you complete your Week 6 assignment (Critical Review) on the same disorder. Thus, your work in Week 1 and in Week 2 will be used to support your work in Week 6.
Select a neuropsychological disorder from the following list. Your selection of topic should be based on your personal or professional experience, or your own academic or personal interest in the topic. Be sure to use current terminology from the American Psychiatric Association’s (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5) if this disorder is discussed in that resource. Please note that Substance Use Disorder (SUD) (drug abuse, substance abuse) is not the emphasis of the course. Critical Reviews focusing on SUD or drugs of addiction will not be accepted.
Please select your topic from the following list:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
In keeping with the focus of this class, your paper should emphasize the neurobiology of the disorder and the related drug treatment used in clinical management. Other modes of treatment are not the focus of our class. For instance, papers that discuss psychotherapy, other than in passing, will not be given credit. This week, please focus on the neurobiology of the disorder. In your paper, please be sure that the following aspects of your topic are discussed:
- Explain the theories of etiology (causes) with a focus on the neurobiology of the disorder (the pathology of the disorder with an emphasis on the abnormalities of nervous system structures and function, including those neurotransmitter systems involved).
- Describe the symptomatology of the disorder and its relationship with the neurotransmitters involved.
- Discuss any anatomical changes seen with this disorder, and explain the relationship between such changes and the symptoms seen in the disorder.
- Close your paper with a summary of how the dysregulation of neurotransmitter(s) and any anatomical changes would explain the physical signs and behavioral symptoms displayed by the individual diagnosed with this disorder.
Please research your topic and obtain at least three scholarly and/or peer-reviewed sources published within the last 5 to 10 years. These sources should provide evidence-based information to help support your analysis, focusing on the abovementioned aspects. Be sure to cite your sources in your paper and include them on your References page. You may utilize required or recommended course materials in your work, but these will not count towards the reference requirements; however, you may cite and reference the American Psychiatric Association’s (2013) DSM-5 as one of your sources for the grading credit.
The paper:
- Must be four double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.Links to an external site.
- Must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Use at least three peer-reviewed or scholarly sources published within the last 5 to 10 years. You may utilize required or recommended course materials in your work, but these will not count towards the reference requirements; however, you may cite and reference the American Psychiatric Association’s (2013) DSM-5 as one of your sources used for the grading credit.
- All sources must be documented in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
- A separate references page must be included that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Writing Center.
Textbook: Advokat, C. D., Comaty, J. E., & Julien, R. M. (2018). Julien’s primer of drug action: A comprehensive guide to the actions, uses, and side effects of psychoactive drugs (14th ed.). Worth Publishers.
- Chapter 1: Pharmacokinetics: How Drugs are Handled by the Body
- Chapter 2: The Neuron, Synaptic Transmission, and Neurotransmitters
- Chapter 3: Pharmacodynamics: How Drugs Act
