Research Guides: Psychology: Psyc 220 Abnormal Psychology

Books & eBooks

Madness at the Movies: Understanding Mental Illness through Film by James Charney
Call Number: Shelton Collection ; 616.89002 Ch382m
Through films such as Psycho, Ordinary People, and As Good As It Gets, we examine an array of disorders, including psychosis, paranoia, and anxiety. Charney shows how films reflects the understanding of mental illness at the time of release and the culture that shaped that understanding.
Understanding Mental Disorders: Your Guide to DSM-5-TR by American Psychiatric Association
Call Number: Poulsbo Collection ; 616.89 Un2a
Based on the DSM-5-TR, Understanding Mental Disorders provides useful insight on what to expect from an illness and its treatment--and will help readers recognize symptoms, know when to seek help, and get the right care.

Empirical Research

Empirical research reports the results of an observation or experiment. It is a primary source, written by the researchers. Articles that report the findings of empirical research will contain a METHOD section providing details about the experiment or observation was conducted. Such research may be:

Quantitative
Qualitative
Clinical
Longitudinal

Note: A review article is not considered empirical research.

How to Find Empirical Research

Start by finding effective keywords (textbooks, DSM-5-TR, encyclopedias)
Choose a database and be sure you understand how to use it
Search strategically, keep notes of what works
Check the research methodology to ensure you have an appropriate source
Save your citations

Article Databases

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
An EBSCO database for students researching topics in psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, family service, criminal justice, and nursing.

Academic Search Complete
Popular, trade, and academic content in nearly every field of study.
JSTOR
Digitized back issues of academic journals, academic books, museum and archive images, and primary sources. Useful for research in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
PubMed
Index of biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books from the National Library of Medicine. Use this link to activate a "Full Text from Olympic College Libraries" option in the upper right of the page.
ScienceDirect
Extensive collection of journals, academic books, and academic encyclopedias in health/life sciences, physical sciences, and social/behavioral sciences.

DSM-5-TR

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5-TR by American Psychiatric Association
Call Number: 616.89 Di540a5t
Provides a cohesive, updated presentation of criteria, diagnostic codes, and text describing features, prevalence, development and course, risk and prognostic factors, culture, markers, and more.

OER Textbook

Fundamentals of Psychological Disorders, 3rd Edition
Open access text from May 2024, formerly titled Abnormal Psychology.