Students will learn about behavior and mental health
By Julian Gonzales
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
A psychology course, PSYC 2320, Abnormal Psychology, will be returning to this college’s curriculum in the fall.
Abnormal psychology is a division of psychology that studies people who are “abnormal” or “atypical” compared to the members of a given society, according to simplypsychology.org.
Some abnormalities would be severe depression, which is lack of energy, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, and even suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
Anxiety, which is another abnormality, can cause excessive worry, restlessness, not getting the enough sleep and more.
Panic disorders such as schizophrenia, therapies and behavior modification are what the course covers.
“We’re trying to break down stereotypes,” psychology Professor Dehlia Wallis, said April 23.
Wallis said everyone will come in to contact with someone who has a diagnosis of an abnormality.
The course will transfer to senior colleges and is in the field of study for psychology, but it will not satisfy the core curriculum.
This course will influence students to have a deeper understanding of psychology and they will learn more about of abnormal behavior and mental health, she said.
She said this is helpful for students in any major.
“It was a very popular course before it went away,” Wallis said.
“The course went away about five years ago, and for whatever reason, although the course met the criteria, the Coordinating Board decided that community colleges shouldn’t be teaching it, so we lost the course,” Dr. Thomas Billimek, chair of psychology, philosophy and student development, said May 9.
For more information, call Wallis at 210-486-0776.
