PSYC 350 Drugs and Human Behavior
PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS:

For the course project, you are to write a minimum 10 page paper on Major Depressive Disorder (major depression). Paper must be a FULL 10 pages using Times New Roman font – 12 pt – with one-inch margins all around. Double-spaced. Papers not meeting these minimum requirements will not be eligible for full points. Papers less than 7 full pages with the above requirements will not be read and will receive a 0.

As always, no word for word of any kind!!!

The paper must cover the following areas:

I. Symptomology. In your own words identify and describe the 9 symptoms that are considered in evaluating major depression. Indicate, according to DSM V, the number of symptoms necessary for diagnosis, which, if any, of the symptoms are required for diagnosis, and any other considerations that must be taken into account. This section should leave the reader with a good picture of what depression looks like.

II. Etiology. (aka “causes”). Clearly identify and describe both the biological and psychological causes (or presumed causes/bases) of depression.

III. Prognosis. (predicted outcome). Assuming an individual is correctly diagnosed with major depression, what can they reasonably expect? What factors influence this outcome?

IV. Drug Treatment. What are the different classes or categories of drugs used to treat major depression? What do they do in the body? What action(s) is/are thought to be responsible for the therapeutic benefits? Identify the common side effects for each class of drugs.

V. Nondrug Treatments. What interventions other than drugs have shown any demonstrable success in alleviating depression. What is thought to be responsible for therapeutic effectiveness?

VI. Efficacy. How effective are the various treatments. What factors seem to influence efficacy? Include here a discussion of efficacy when comparing pure depression to depression with comorbid conditions.

VII. Misdiagnosis. Discuss concerns for treating someone (for depression) who is incorrectly diagnosed with MDD (i.e., client really has bipolar disorder, anxiety, etc). Also discuss concerns for a client who does have depression but may go undiagnosed (untreated) or may be treated for a disorder other than MDD.

Your paper needs to use a minimum of 7 quality (scientific) references. If you have any doubt, ASK ME! Primarily you should be looking for scholarly journal articles, though the National Institute of Mental Health has a quality web site. Do NOT use other websites without consulting me. Nothing “wiki” is acceptable. No textbooks as they quickly become dated.

There should be in-text citations for your information as well as a reference page at the end. Reference page does not count toward the 7- or 10-page requirement.

Citations and references are to use APA style. Consult the library if you are unfamiliar with APA style.

There must be clear, in-text citations of your information. I should be able to go to the identified source and find the indicated information. Papers without citations or that have minimal citations will have points deducted – quantity depends on the severity of the omissions.

Cover pages do not count as one of the page requirements.

DO NOT put your name and other information at the top of the page. You are submitting through D2L. I will know who you are. I already know who I am, the name of the class and the date! If such info is present it will be “cut” before determining if the paper meets the requirements.