Psychopathology is the study of the signs and symptoms of psychiatric disorders - delusions, hallucinations, phobias, depression, for example. This book gives an account of the terms currently in use and attempts an in-depth analysis of the nature of each. The matter is examined both from a philosophical perspective and from the point of view of what is known about the function of the hemispheres of the brain.

"Through the presentation of the behavior of a single case, van den Berg elaborates the major forms of experiencing, including one's physical world, one's body, one's social world, and time perspective of past and future. Before elaborating how these notions can be dealt with within an existential orientation, he discusses their traditional conception in pathology under the rubrics of projection, conversion, transference, and mythicizing. In a final chapter, he provides an integrating framework in discussing pathology as the experience of loneliness. Not the least of the rewards in this book is the author's concluding section providing an historical summary of phenomenological psychopathology. Seminal works and ideas of such major figures as Dilthey, Jaspers, Binswanger, Straus, Boss, and Sartre, as well as less-known contributors, are given a brief but judicious presentation. We can be grateful to the author . . . for this felicitous entree into an important avenue for understanding the abnormal personality." Contemporary Psychology

The mainstream upper-level undergraduate textbook designed for first courses in Developmental Psychopathology Developmental Psychopathology provides a comprehensive introduction to the evolving scientific discipline that focuses on the interactions between the biological, psychological, behavioral, and social contextual aspects of normal and abnormal human development. Designed for advanced undergraduates and early graduate students with no previous engagement with the subject, this well-balanced textbook integrates clinical knowledge and scientific practice to help students understand both how and why mental health problems emerge across the lifespan. Organized into four parts, the text first provides students with essential background information on traditional approaches to psychopathology, developmental psychopathology (DP), normal development, and insecure attachment. The next section addresses attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other problems emerging in childhood. Part III covers problems that arise in adolescence and young adulthood, such as depression, suicide, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. The text concludes with a discussion of special topics such as the relation between pathopsychological issues and divorce, separation, and loss. Each chapter includes a visual demonstration of the DP approach, a clinical case, further readings, and discussion questions. Developmental Psychopathology: Presents a coherent organization of material that illustrates the DP principle of cutting across multiple levels of analysis Covers common psychopathological problems including antisocial behavior, substance use disorders, fear and anxiety, and emerging personality disorders Features integrative DP models based on the most recent research in psychopathological disorders Provides instructors with a consistent pedagogical framework for teaching upper-level students encountering the discipline for the first time Developmental Psychopathology is the perfect textbook for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in Child Psychopathology, Abnormal Child Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Family Dynamics and Psychopathology.

In this profound work, Vittorio Guidano expands upon his earlier seminal contributions on the application of cognitive and developmental principles to individuals struggling with various forms of psychopathology. Here, he fully develops the idea that individuals' experience, both positive and negative, are powerfully influenced by their personal ``psychological organizations.'Focusing primarily on the eating disorders, the phobias (with agoraphobia as the prototype) obsessive-compulsive patterns, and depression, Guidano illustrates how early developmental experiences and ongoing psychological processes may collude to perpetuate dysfunctional patterns and personal distress. The central and perhaps most exciting thesis in this new expression of Guidano's thinking is that the ``deep structure' or ``core organizing processes`` that constrain human psychological experience may be at the heart of successful intervention as well as the classical problems of resistance, relapse, and refractory behaviors. Guidano's contention is at once simple and powerful: those psychological processes involved in the development and maintenance of personal identity, or ``self' that should be the primary foci of research and intervention in psychological disorders. The meaning of Guidano's perspective for clinical practice is perhaps best expressed in the author's own words: ``Knowing the basic elements of the personal cognitive organization that underlie the pattern of disturbed behavior and emotions, the therapist can behave, from the beginning, in such a way as to build a relationship as effective as possible for that particular client. In other words, the therapist should be able to establish a relationship that respects the client's personal identity and systemic coherence and that, at the same time, does not confirm the basic pathogenic assumptions. For example, in working with agoraphobics, the therapist has to respect their self-images centered on the need to be in control. He/she can do this by avoiding any direct attack on their controlling attitudes and by leaving them a wide margin of control in the relationship. At the same time the therapist should avoid confirming their assumptions about the somatic origin of their emotional disturbances or about their inborn fragility. In short, the therapist who can anticipate the models of self and reality tacitly entertained by the client is surely better able to help the development of a cooperative and secure therapeutic relationship than the therapist who cannot make such anticipations. This timely and provocative volume offers exciting new ideas about how to conceptualize and facilitate change in the ``self system.' With the rare combination of his Renaissance intellect and integrative practical expertise, Guidano has been able to draw together many disparate themes from object relations theory, ego psychology, attachment theory, constructivist models of human cognition, and lifespan developmental psychology. It is must reading for the practicing professional, the helping apprentice, and anyone interested in glimpsing the cutting edge at the growing interface between cognitive and clinical science.

This volume provides a forum for interdisciplinary perspectives in the emerging discipline of developmental psychopathology. The goal is to elucidate the four central principles of this discipline: the application of classical developmental theory in work with atypical populations; the delineation of insights from atypical populations that inform developmental theory; the integration of methods and theories from various social science disciplines; and the description of implications for interventions and social policy. So far, there have been few efforts to present each of these principles of developmental psychopathology within a single, unifying framework. Illustrating these central principles across a range of state-of-the-art research programs, this unique collection of papers will be invaluable for students, current researchers, and clinicians seeking a sound understanding of this rapidly emerging social science discipline.

The text covers the history of community mental health and shows its relationships to social welfare policies and legal and political systems. It also shows the limits inherent in the medical model of practice in dealing with such a full range of formal mental health problems, including the everyday stressful life events that make up the "Soap Opera" life.

Presenting a fresh approach to child and adolescent therapy, this book identifies five principles at the heart of the most potent evidence-based treatments--and shows how to apply them. Clinicians learn efficient, engaging ways to teach the skills of Feeling Calm, Increasing Motivation, Repairing Thoughts, Solving Problems, and Trying the Opposite (FIRST) to 5- to 15-year-olds and their parents. FIRST principles can be used flexibly and strategically in treatment of problems including anxiety, posttraumatic stress, depression, and misconduct. In a convenient large-size format, the book features 37 reproducible parent handouts, decision trees, and other clinical tools. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download and print these materials, plus Spanish-language versions of selected parent handouts.