Mental Health and Mental Disorders of Children and Youth

This course will present the state-of-the-art knowledge and research on mental disorders of children and youth, as well as factors that promote mental health and prevent mental disorders in children and youth. Biopsychosocial theories of resiliency, coping, etiology, the impact of mental health disorders on children and family members, and the relationship of ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression) marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation to mental disorders will be examined. Classification systems of child and youth functioning and disorders will be presented such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DC:0-3 Diagnostic System of the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, and the Individuals with Disability Education Act. The impact of labeling and stigma will be explored in order to develop critical thinking about how mental disorders of children and youth are conceptualized.