Psychological Disorders

Chapter 8: Psychological Disorders

5 min read Updated Apr 19, 2026
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About one in five adults will experience a mental illness this year. Psychological disorders are distinct from everyday unhappiness or worry: they involve patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that are persistent, distressing, and disruptive to functioning. This chapter covers the major categories from the DSM-5 - the reference manual for diagnosis - and their biological underpinnings.

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