This discussion is worth 50 points total.  40 points will be allotted to your

This discussion is worth 50 points total.  40 points will be allotted to your initial post to the discussion and you may earn 5 points for each of 2 responses you must give to your classmates during the day following initial posts.
The due date posted is when ALL initial posts must be made to the discussion but you can always post early.  You will have an additional week to respond to two classmates in a substantive way before the discussion board will disappear. 
The topic of this discussion will be psychological disorders and treatment. 
You may write about any ONE disorder in the following classes of disorders

1) mood: depression, bipolar disorder, etc.
2) anxiety: panic, GAD, OCD, PTSD, specific phobia, etc.
3) eating disorders
4) schizophrenia spectrum disorders
5) personality disorders
6) substance abuse disorders
7) autism spectrum disorders and attention disorders
 To be clear, as stated above, you choose ONE disorder, not a class of disorders.  DO NOT, for example, write about anxiety disorders in general, but instead choose one disorder from the class if that’s the class you’ve chosen.
Your initial post should address the following in 3 or 4 paragraphs:
1) etiology: believed causes and origins of the disorder–biological, environmental/familial, etc
2) diagnostic criteria: what does the disorder look like? symptoms? functioning?
3) prevalence and prognosis
4) treatments: drugs? therapy?
 
Your responses to classmates must be substantive.  You should provide them with additional information and ask thought-provoking questions.
All posts (initial and responses to classmates) must be supported with peer-reviewed sources and appropriate citations.