10 PAGE SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH TERM PAPER

II.    Assignment
a.    Each student will write a paper, 5-7 pages in length with 12-point font and Times New Roman format.
b.    The paper must be in APA format, including in-text citations, Abstract, and a References page.
c.    The paper must include a discussion of the following:  history of the disorder, conceptualization/theoretical framework, prevalence of the disorder, assessments, diagnostic criteria, diversity, and treatment.  (Please see below for a description of each of these.)
d.    No sources may be dated prior to the year 2000.
e.    The assigned class text may not be used as a source.  Appropriate sources include textbooks and journal articles.  Any sources outside of this may be given instructor approval beforehand.  At least 3 of the 6 required sources must be peer-reviewed journal articles.   If there are questions about what an appropriate source looks like, please let your instructor know.
f.    Grammar and style are also important aspects of this assignment.  This paper must include correct grammar and must be stylistically appropriate.  Points will be deducted in a section if there are significant errors.

Key points:

1.    When discussing the history of the disorder, this refers to when the condition was first noticed and any work that may have been done with it, including diagnosing and treating it.  History often dictates how a condition plays out in present day.  
2.    Conceptualization/theoretical framework of the disorder refers to different points of view for understanding the cause of the condition.  It is the perspective from which one views a disorder.  This includes perspectives such as biological, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, humanistic/existential, behavioral, and cognitive.  There are all ideas that will be covered in the third chapter but also should have been covered in your Introduction to Psychology course.   Students must choose three, one of which must be biological.
3.    Prevalence will also be discussed in the course, but it generally refers to the number of existing causes over the population at risk (Nevid, Rathus, & Greene, 2013).  For instance, the prevalence of schizophrenia is 1% (APA, 2013)
4.    Assessment refers to how the condition is measured and diagnosed.  This includes such things like psychological testing and a clinical interview. Disorders are not random and need to be assessed accordingly.  You are expected, through your research, to find how your disorder of choice is measured.
5.    Diagnostic criteria refers to specific information that is gathered to
formulate a diagnosis.  This is often found in the DSM and generally is a cluster of symptoms that make up the condition.  
6.    When looking at diversity for this paper, I would like you to consider if it
it is more prevalent in a different race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.  Also, I could like you to consider how it looks differently in more diverse populations.  Historically, issues of diversity have been ignored and deserve more careful attention.  
7.    When discussing treatment, please look at the different ways in which those
with this disorder are  cared for in their lives.  Common treatments may include, but are not limited to the following: medication, psychodynamic/psychoanalytic therapy, behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, existential therapy, etc (Nevid, Rathus, & Greene, 2013).  This may also tie into the history, as different conditions may have been treated differently over time.