THE DISORDER PAPER
Assignment 3: Disorder Paper EPIDEMIOLOGY
The disorder paper will explore a disorder in greater detail than in class and the textbook. You
will complete your disorder paper over a series of assignments. As you write the paper, imagine
that your reader will be an intelligent lay person – someone who has knowledge of
psychology, but not an advanced degree in it. This means that you will explain the meaning of
any highly specialized terms that you may use in the text of your paper.
The paper will aIDress several elements of the disorder. For example, it will describe the
essential and non-essential features of the disorder, epidemiology (e.g., prevalence rates, typical
onset and course, risk factors, familial pattern, etc. The paper will also describe causal factors
(remember to emphasize multidimensional models of causality). As we go through the different
classes of disorders, we have utilized a multidimensional model that considers genetic,
biological, psychological (behavioral, cognitive), and social factors; this model will also be
present in the paper. The paper will also aIDress treatment.

ASSIGNMENT 3: EPIDEMIOLOGY
 In this section, you will provide information about the prevalence, course, onset, and any
patterns of the disorder. Be sure to aIDress:
 Prevalence (it is preferred that you provide 1-year/point and lifetime prevalence
information if available)
 Typical age of onset (i.e., does this tend to start during childhood? The teenage years?
Early Adulthood? MiIDle Adulthood? Older Adulthood?)
 Description of the typical onset (e.g., is this something that comes on suIDenly or
develops gradually over time?)
 The course of the disorder (e.g., do symptoms wax and wane over time? Is this something
that is typically chronic? Or is it usually short-lived?)
 Typical prognosis for the disorder in the absence of treatment (e.g., does this tend to
spontaneously remit without treatment, or become worse?)
 Presence of any age or gender-related patterns to the disorder (for example, Alzheimer’s
Disease diagnosis are higher among the oldest-old than the young-old; major depressive
disorder occurs twice as often in females)

 Be sure to cite sources utilized in this section
ARE YOU WONDERING, WHERE CAN I GET THIS INFORMATION?
 The DSM-5 is a great place to get information about these topics. The DSM-5 is available in
the UIW Mabee Library!
 Be sure to cite/reference appropriately!
 Check the textbook! Be sure to cite/reference it!
 You may also be able to find this information in some journal articles. Be sure to
cite/reference them!
 The National Institute of Mental Health’s website also has information about point
prevalence for many diagnostic codes. The website is on our Bb. It also has information
about age and gender-related patterns (if applicable) to some of the diagnostic codes. Very
useful! Be sure to cite/reference it!
A3 – Epidemiology – 2
SO WHAT WILL MY FINAL PAPER INCLUDE?
A title page (APA format, including the running head)
The content of the paper
References page (APA format)
 If you do not have a copy of the American Psychological Association Publication Manual
6th edition (2010; the blue one), it is available at the Mabee Library. I have also placed a
folder full of APA format resources on our Course Documents page. This folder includes
a video that shows step-by-step creation of an APA format document.
FORMATTING RULES
1 margins, all the way around
12 point, Times New Roman font (this font)
Double spaced, removing the extra 10 pts of blank space that Microsoft Word 2010 and
higher inserts between paragraphs.

Citations will include the last name of the author(s) and year of publication
 Ex: (LaCour, 2010) or (Levy & Johnson, 1999)
Full reference material for each source cited in the paper will be included on the reference
page.
General Guidelines
The paper is to be done in narrative form (sentences, paragraphs), not in bulleted lists. As you
summarize information from your sources, remember to cite them in your paper! Even when you
paraphrase, citing is still necessary. A citation will include the last names of the author(s) and the
year of publication. Paraphrasing is preferable to many direct quotations; however, if you believe
it necessary to quote something directly from another source, remember to place the quoted
material inside quotation marks and cite appropriately! The citation for quoted material will
include the author(s)’ last names, the year of publication, and the page number or paragraph
number from which the quoted material is copied. Use no more than one directly quoted sentence
per page.
The assignment is to be typed in 12 point, Times New Roman font with 1 margins.
SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Submit this assignment via SafeAssign in Blackboard and submit a printed copy in class by
the due date/time.
In Blackboard:
1. Click ASSIGNMENTS in the left-hand menu
2. Click on the link/folder to Epidemiology.
3. Click on SafeAssign link for the assignment and complete the upload process.
a. Here is a tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IkCGs6Mr0I&list=UUdInBPJlWk5dQTIo7s
cClGQ&index=2&feature=plcp
4. Please make sure that the filename has your name & A3 in it. For example, if your name
is Jane Doe, your file would be named Doe A3).
Submit a printed copy in class