Students will review descriptive and analytic epidemiology for major mental disorders of childhood, adulthood and late adult life. The course will also examine issues of classification and the nosology of psychiatric disorders, as well as operational case definitions and the measurement techniques used to enhance field surveys and risk-factor research. For more information: http://distance.jhsph.edu/pe Describes the basic features of mental disorders using an epistemological framework that facilitates understanding in the context of public health research and practice. Includes discussion of the distinction between neurological activity and mental life, and briefly presents the historical as well as current state of knowledge of the most common psychiatric conditions. Framework includes four fundamental perspectives for understanding mental disturbances: disease, dimension, behavior: and life story, with explanation of the distinct etiopathologic nature each perspective brings to bear on the problem of defining, classifying, and measuring mental disorders. For more information: http://distance.jhsph.edu/per_psych | 
