My Favorite Class: Human Behavior 723 – Adult Psychopathology
By Channing D. (MSW’22)
Picking a favorite class during my time at BUSSW is akin to asking a parent to choose their favorite child. During my 2 ½ years of the MSW program, there have been so many fantastic readings, lectures, films, and live classroom activities that have enhanced my learning, critical thinking, and understanding of what it means to be a social worker.
One of the most fascinating classes I’ve taken was Human Behavior 723 – Adult Psychopathology. At the core of the course was this question: How do we, as social workers, use the diagnostic process during assessment and treatment planning, while still upholding social work ethics? Throughout the class, we:
- Studied various diagnoses and disorders, their symptoms, and presentation.
- Learned about everything from neurocognitive and substance use disorders to personality and anxiety disorders.
- Dove deep into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DMS-5), interrogated the usefulness of pathologizing mental illnesses, and questioned the impact of diagnosing clients and disclosing said diagnoses.
- Questioned how stigmatizing certain diagnoses can be, as well as how race, gender, or sexuality can impact the treatment of mental illness.
My favorite part of the class was one of our textbooks, First Person Accounts of Mental Illness and Recovery. This collection of essays, written by real people with mental illnesses, goes into their symptoms, how they were diagnosed, what treatment looked like, and where they were in their recovery process. Reading their first-hand accounts was an impactful and humbling experience that de-stigmatized many disorders for me and my classmates. I will keep what I gleaned from this class with me every time I meet with a new client seeking help.
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Channing D. is a Clinical Major at BUSSW’s Worcester Hybrid Program. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, exercising, baking, and consuming as much art as possible.