Newsletter: An “Abnormal Newsletter”, 4 typed (single-spaced) pages and no less than 1200 words in length. From the various abnormal psychology topics that are frequently explored in the popular press, you will select a topic that is of particular interest to you. Examples of topics include mood disorders such as major depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, use of medications in treating abnormal behavior, and “radical” therapies in use today. Your newsletter topic should focus on a disorder different than the one you wrote your paper on. Your newsletter should include: 1) information read in three (3) independent newspaper, magazine or internet articles, and 2) information obtained from two (2) peer-reviewed journal articles that address your topic.

Your newsletter should include the following information:

1. Diagnostic criteria used in determining the presence or absence of the target problem
2. Clinical features of the target problem (i.e., prevalence rates, onset and course of the target problem, gender and sociocultural differences in rates of diagnosis, and associated problems)
3. Commonly employed and psychometrically sound assessment instruments and procedures
4. Detailed descriptions of at least two treatments for the target problem
5. A statement regarding the relative effectiveness of various treatment options
6. Lay perspectives (non-professional conceptualizations) of the target problem

All six information resources should be used in creating your newsletter; however, one of your peer- reviewed journal articles should serve as your primary resource for information pertaining to various clinical assessment procedures and instruments. You should suggest the procedures and instruments that are most commonly employed in making determinations about the target problem. You should also include information about the reliability and validity of the assessment procedures and instruments you have reviewed. The other peer-reviewed article should be used as your primary resource for information pertaining to the various treatments used for the target problem and their relative effectiveness. The newsletter must be titled and typed in newsletter format.