I thought the New York Times did a nice article on Friday. They carefully skirted the "how can you diagnose someone when you haven't been able to evaluate him?" point, while then cheerfully going on and getting possible diagnoses from various talking heads. Comments from Dr. Michael Stone, an "expert on personality disorders and killers," from Columbia University, and a couple of others. The most appealing diagnosis seemed to be avoidant personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder. A blend of the two as "insular paranoid" had some potential, though this came from Dr. Theodore Millon, "dean and scientific director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Personology and Psychopathology" in Coral Gables. I'm not familiar with him or the Institute.
Here's a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/20/us/20psych.html?ex=1334721600&en=f528c9d52db31b27&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire ----- Original Message ----- From: Gerald Peterson To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 9:52 AM Subject: [tips] depression and delusions I am covering Psych Disorders and, of course, the Virginia Tech murder-suicide is on student minds. Has anyone seen some useful info on his prior diagnosis? Is delusional content so central? Are CJ texts and analyses of murder-suicide more relevant that the typical Intro psych chapter? The approach that seems most fitting so far is from Ellis because he emphasizes the role of frustration and irrational thinking as self-confirming of both the thoughts and the depression. Of course, there is much more to learn, but I am anticipating class questions and discussion. Just wondering what other conversations others have been having with students--especially with regards the mental health issues. Probably a good time to bring in some social workers, clinical workers, psychiatrists, etc. Cheers, Gary Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
