Chapter 18. Psychological Disorders
Psychological Disorders Introduction
Leanne Stevens; Jennifer Stamp; Kevin LeBlanc (editors - original chapter); and Jessica Motherwell McFarlane (editor - adapted chapter)
Approximate reading time: 3 minutes
Esmé is an 18-year-old from Hamilton, ON (Figure PD.1). She did well in high school and received scholarships to attend university in Halifax, NS. Esmé is excited to start this new chapter in her life, even though she’ll be almost 2000 kms away from home.
When the semester began, Esmé was optimistic about her courses and future degree. She made friends and was engaged in her courses. Halfway through the semester, however, Esmé’s friends noticed that she seemed disinterested in social activities and was falling behind in her classes. When they asked about her change in behaviour, Esmé said that she was just a bit homesick. Towards the end of the term, Esmé seemed even more withdrawn from her friends, classes, and other activities. She was spending most of her time alone in her room and was failing most of her courses. Esmé’s friends decide to contact the Health & Wellness Centre on campus for support. With regular counselling sessions and support from her friends and family, Esmé was able to deal with her depression and make significant improvements the following semester.
Esmé’s story is hypothetical but may be similar to the experience of many undergraduate students across the country. As you’ll learn in this chapter, the experiences and journeys of everyone are different, and have different outcomes. In this chapter, we’ll explore the difference between atypical and dysfunctional, the concept of psychopathology, and symptoms and signs of common psychological disorders.
Optional pre-reading for this chapter
The following chapter is necessarily technical at times and presents complex content about psychological disorders. If you would like to benefit from an enjoyable, easier warm-up read that covers the basics of mental health, the following guide will provide you with an excellent foundation from which to begin your introduction to psychological disorders.
Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health is a full-colour graphic novel-style adventure through the brain that demystifies and destigmatizes emotional and mental health for children ages 12 and up. It is also an excellent guide for parents, adults enrolled in psychology courses, and clients in psychotherapy.
Image Attributions
Figure PD.1. Photo by Sofia Alehandra on Pexels
To calculate this time, we used a reading speed of 150 words per minute and then added extra time to account for images and videos. This is just to give you a rough idea of the length of the chapter section. How long it will take you to engage with this chapter will vary greatly depending on all sorts of things (the complexity of the content, your ability to focus, etc).
