Pick a health issue. Any health issue, but preferably one that you are interested in (e.g., atype of heart disease or an autoimmune disorder, a form of cancer or diabetes, whatever illnessyou’re interested in). This is the hard part; if the illness is too broad, it can cause you problems(e.g., don’t work on ‘heart disease”, instead work on one type of heart disease or one type ofcancer, and even then that might be too broad).Write a 10 page (double spaced) paper on this illness describinga. The characteristics of the illness and its prevalence (~1 page)b. The etiology of the illness. How does it come about and what factors lead to itsoccurrence? (~1.5 pages)c. Presumed mechanisms. This is the main part of the essay and should include thecontribution of developmental and psychosocial factors, genetic contribution, hormonal,immune, neurotransmitter or other factors involved. (~5-6 pages). AS the course is aboutstress, this should be a significant component of the essay.d. Summary (1.5-2 pages) that provides an overall perspective of the issues, particularlyyour own assessment of the state of the field.
