Annette Taylor, Ph. D. wrote:
Hi All:
This week we covered psychopathology in class and as we discussed bipolar
disorder he announced in class that he has bipolar disorder. Well, then he went
on to make the blanket statement to the whole class that in the manic phase he
becomes schizophrenic! I didn't want the whole class to believe this so I tried
to suggest that he was misinterpreting something but he was adamant that his
therapist said it was so.
Annette,
No one has mentioned Schizoaffective Disorder. In this disorder the
patient has symptoms that qualify for both Bipolar Disorder and
Schizophrenia. It has some other technical qualifications but it is
possible this student has both sets of symptoms.
When I have this kind of student I try to focus their attention on
identifying symptoms and problems in living caused by the symptoms
rather than focusing on diagnoses. I would suggest that the student
write an application paper in which he describes some of the symptoms he
has and relate them to the definitions of symptoms from the class or
text. I also emphasize that though we learn about some of the main
disorders we don't do diagnosis as undergraduates.
I too have problems with a few students that over disclose in
class. I often find out later that these students are coping with
significant emotional problems or disorders that cause them to have
trouble reading nonverbal cues. If they are comfortable enough to come
in to see me and I have a good relationship with them, I usually ask if
they were aware that they were over disclosing and if they noticed the
class' nonverbal reaction to them. I then talk about what would have
been a better way to contribute to class. If they don't come in I try
to make the best possible use of their contributions but there have been
a few who just made awkward comments. The worst one I remember took a
second class for me and was completely appropriate. When she came in I
asked her if she noticed a difference between her behavior in the two
classes. She said yes and thanked me for noticing. She said she
thought it was because she and her psychiatrist had finally gotten her
medications right.
I would appreciate hearing from others about how they handle these
over disclosing students. I seem to get one or two a year especially in
my abnormal psych course and I'm not comfortable with the two or three
ways I have of handling these awkward situations. I could use a few
more options.
bob Grossman
Kalamazoo College
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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