Abnormal Psychology
Series Entitled: "World of Abnormal Psychology"

The World of Abnormal Psychology, a thirteen-part college credit course, examines a range of psychological disorders, including anxiety disorders, personality disorders, sexual disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, and organic mental disorders. In addition, the course explores newer areas of research in substance abuse, childhood disorders, stress-related disorders, and psychological factors in physical illness.

Interviews with patients and their families, clinicians, and researchers, give viewers a real sense of the emotional toll paid by those who suffer from such disorders, and help explain the causes, symptoms, and treatments. The series reflects current thinking that abnormal behavior can be understood from a combination of biological, psychological, and social points of view.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

1) Looking at Abnormal Behavior
This program visits the Jackson Memorial Hospital Crises Center in Miami, where suicidal, depressed, and schizophrenic patients meet with psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers to assess the nature and seriousness of their problems. It also introduces the various theories used to explain and treat abnormal behavior.

2) Psychotherapies
This program allows viewers to "sit-in" on five distinctly different kinds of psychotherapy psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, gestalt, couples, and group. Theory and practice are intertwined as these fascinating patients progress through therapy, sometimes trying alternative models for the same problem.

3) Sexual Disorders
A man exhibits himself in public. A women feels guilty about not wanting sex. A happily married couple suddenly finds itself at odds over sex. These are some of the people this program visits, as it shows the extraordinary progress made in the assessment and treatment of sexual disorders in the last 25 years.

4) Personality Disorders
One in ten Americans has a personality disorder. Some are mildly annoying; others are exceedingly dangerous. Viewers will meet individuals with narcissistic, antisocial, borderline, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. Including murderers and a group of women who mutilate themselves, and will learn about the challenges involved in both diagnosis and treatment.

5) Mood Disorders
Depression is one of the most common psychological problems. In this program, psychologists and biologists look at the causes and treatment of both depression and bipolar disorder, and show the progress that has been made in helping people return to productive and satisfying lives.

6) The Anxiety Disorders
Even in the beat of times, we all experience some anxiety. But millions of Americans suffer from major anxiety disorders. This program examines two of the most common ? panic with agoraphobia and generalized anxiety disorder - and shows how psychologists are making progress in treating them.

7) The Nature of Stress
This program visits people under stress ? from the overworked and out-of-work to survivors of suicide and homicide, to rape victims, to Vietnam War veterans who continually re-experience the stress of the battlefield. It explores the long-term effects of stress and what is known about how to reduce them.

8) Psychological Factors and Physical Illness
This program examines the relationship between emotions and health to explore how psychological treatment can improve physical well-being. It visits a teenager with migraine headaches, a dentist trying to decrease his risk for developing heart disease, and a woman with breast cancer, along with those who are treating them.

9) Substance Abuse Disorders
Millions of Americans abuse alcohol, cigarettes, and cocaine. Contrary to myth, a great deal is known about these dangerous and costly disorders, including how to teat them. The program examines how the concept of treatment matching is used to help individuals overcome a variety of addictions.

10) The Schizophrenia's
In emotionally moving segments, this program visits people who suffer from the hallucinations, paranoia, and psychological disarray of these disabling illnesses. In addition to examining symptoms and treatments, the program helps viewers debunk some of the myths associated with the disorder and shows its human, and hopeful, side.

11) Organic Mental Disorders
A teenager falls off a swing and hits his head. Another man drinks too much. A third is attacked by Alzheimer's Disease. All suffer from organic mental disorders that have changed their lives - and those of their families - forever. This program explores how science and psychology are tackling these serious ailments.

12) Behavior Disorders of Childhood
Almost all parents worry whether or not their child's behavior is normal: This program visits families of youngsters with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder and Autism. It also talks with experts in child development and psychology, who discuss how to differentiate abnormal behavior from developmental differences.

13) An Ounce of Prevention
Imagine a society whose citizens are protected from psychological disorders. This program visits several programs that are attempting to eliminate known risk factors that often lead to serious disorders - risk factors that range from social isolation, to inadequate parenting skills, to old age. The stories are touching; the results are promising.