Section 11 PSYC 245: Psychopathology

Essential Question: What are some essential DEI topics I can teach in PSYC 245?

Abstract: Psychopathology is primarily understood through the lens of research conducted by white people and conducted using white participants. However, this does not necessarily give an accurate perspective of the etiology, symptom manifestation, and best treatment practices for BIPOC. It is important to share with students research and case studies from BIPOC and studies that explore psychopathology within BIPOC populations.


Class Topics and Learning Objectives

  • Topic: Clinical Research
    • Objective: Most of the clinical research in psychopathology has been conducted by white people or with using white participants. It’s important to highlight studies with BIPOC participants from various countries/cultures to increase external validity and get a fuller picture of research in the field.
    • Slide Deck: Here.


  • Topic: Stigma of Mental Illness
    • Objective: Stigma is pervasive around mental illness, which creates embarrassment and fear in those who would benefit from treatment. Most people don’t realize how they are perpetuating stigma about mental illness through their comments and/or actions. In this section, you can discuss how the act of labeling through diagnosis can create stigma (by creating in-groups/out-groups) as well as how cultural relativism plays a role in what people perceive as “normal.”
    • Slide Deck: Here.
    • Resources:
      • Rosenhan, D. L. (1973). On Being Sane in Insane Places. Science, 179(4070), 250–258. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.179.4070.250 - is a seminal study (with several flaws) that underscores the role that labeling (sane vs. insane) can have on how others perceive you. It also highlights how symptoms (e.g., auditory hallucinations) that are perceived as “abnormal” can significantly impact being viewed as “insane” even when there is limited evidence to support that decision.
      • Black Public Media. (2011, August 22). Black Folk Don’t: Go to Therapy [Episode Two}. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVPl0SQXan8&ab_channel=BlackPublicMedia - This video interviews several black people for their opinion about going to therapy and why it is often stigmatized within the black community.The affiliated website is linked here.
      • Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” takes a humorous approach to examining mental health in the black community and reviewing stigma/accessibility of treatment for the black population.


  • Topic: Mood Disorders
    • Objective: Depression may not be as “equally” diagnosed in black communities compared to white communities. Teaching about differences brings awareness to systemic differences in how disorders are diagnosed and how that might impact subsequent treatment options/barriers.
    • Slide Deck: Here.
    • Resources:
      • Danquah, M. N.-A. (1998). Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression (1st edition). W. W. Norton & Company - is a memoir describing the author’s experience of depression as a Black woman in the United States. She discusses how stereotypes about Black women impact how she and others have viewed her depression and seeking of help. The full text is available online through UNC library. We recommend assigning the first chapter. Later chapters would also be fitting but some parts of the memoir may be distressing to students (e.g., mentions of trauma).


  • Topic: Suicide
    • Objective: Suicide rates vary based on ethnicity, gender identification, and sexual preference. LGBTQ populations have alarmingly high rates of suicide - with victimization being a primary reason for the increased rate. Brings awareness to increased risk for suicide for certain individuals.
    • Slide Deck: Here.
    • Resources:
      • N.C. State’s “Stop the Stigma” campaign created two professional videos that are linked in the slide deck. These can be shown during class or outside of class as an assignment. In the slide deck in the notes section is a description of a question prompt that students are asked after watching each video.


  • Topic: Anxiety Disorders
    • Objective: It is important to show diversity of individuals who experience anxiety disorders by providing case examples that include BIPOC and LGBTQ populations.
    • Slide Deck: Here.


  • Topic: Psychotic Disorders
    • Objective: Psychotic disorders are disproportionately diagnosed in Black communities. Several of the slides in the slide deck outline historical factors that might explain that difference including increased stress/trauma (social defeat theory). Other countries also see disproportionate rates of schizophrenia in “immigrant” populations which underscores how having differing beliefs from the majority culture might contribute to diagnosis.
    • Slide Deck: Here.
    • Resources:
      • Metzl, J. (2011). The Protest Psychosis: How Schizophrenia Became a Black Disease (Illustrated edition). Beacon Press - this is a nonfiction book so it will be too much to assign for a class project, but it might be a useful resource for pulling class content or if students are interested in additional readings/resources.
      • Saks, E. (n.d.). A tale of mental illness—From the inside. https://www.ted.com/talks/elyn_saks_a_tale_of_mental_illness_from_the_inside - this talk is supplemental to the assigned reading that is provided in the slide deck. It can be assigned as an optional viewing or used in place of the assigned reading.


  • Topic: Eating Disorders
    • Objective: Eating Disorders are often stigmatized as only affecting (and being diagnosed in) white females. Although significantly more women are diagnosed with eating disorders than men, that difference is decreasing. Furthermore, “pooled epidemiological data suggests more similarities than differences in terms of prevalence of eating disorders among different race/ethnic groups,” (Sala et al, 2013, p. 423). Social norms within Westernized industrial countries promote a “thin ideal” for women and a “muscular ideal” for men. These ideals become even more unrealistic due to media that photoshops and edits in such a way that creates a body that is not attainable. The Fiji study is a seminal study that highlights the role that media plays in eating disorders. It surveyed young girls from Fiji before and after they had access to television, and results showed that rates of self-consciousness and bingeing-purging were significantly higher after the introduction of television (here is a video clip highlighting the results of the study; also included in the slide deck). The “thin ideal” is not universal across cultures but it is what is promoted as sexually appealing in most mass media in the United States.
    • Slide Deck: Here.
    • Resources:


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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Teaching by UNC Psychology & Neuroscience DEI Education Subcommittee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.