Case Study: Mental Disorders
According to the text (Clinard, M. B., Meier, R. F. (03/2010). Sociology of Deviant Behavior, 14e, 14th Edition), mental disorders may be caused organically or via chemical or genetic causes. In either case, if left untreated the cost is usually dire. In this case study, you will explore a mental disorder that was not properly controlled via the case of Adam Lanza.
Read the article titled "Adam Lanza". Next, view the article that discusses Lanza's psychiatric treatments titled "Lanza's Psychiatric Treatment Revealed In Documents", by Alaine Griffin andJosh Kovner.
Write a four to five page paper in which you:
1. Compare and contrast three key similarities and three differences between mental illnesses and mental disorders. Provide one example of each similarity and difference to support your response.
2. Speculate whether or not Adam Lanza's engagement with violent video games was a stressor that caused him to act out his obsession with mass murders. Next, hypothesize whether or not Adam Lanza would have been a good candidate for treatment of his mental illness if he had not committed suicide. Justify your response.
3. Since Lanza was diagnosed at a young age with a mental illness, suggest one action psychologists should have suggested that could have prevented the assault that occurred at Sandy Hook elementary. Support your response.
4. Differentiate between the key characteristics associated with functional mental disorders, minor mental disorders (i.e., neuroses), and manic-depressive behavior. Next, support or criticize the notion that one disorder is more severe than the other. Justify your response.
5. Use at least three quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar type Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
• Recommend improvements to societal stigmas associated with physical disabilities.
• Evaluate the importance of reconciling and distinguishing both physical and mental disabilities and how they are perceived by society.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues related to the criminal mind.
• Write clearly and concisely about the criminal mind topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.