Week 15 — Readings & Resources · Psychological Disorders & Treatment

Course: Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 1) · Silver Oak University (fictional sample) · Prof. Bennett
Objective covered: Objective 8 — Apply psychological science to the classification and treatment of psychological disorders.

How to use this page

Everything here is a link to an external resource — open it in your browser, the same way you'd open a YouTube link. Nothing needs to be downloaded.

This week's load is grouped by the ideas from the lecture: defining disorders + the DSM → a respectful survey of the categories → treatment that works → finding help. Read or watch one item per group and you're ready for the quiz; do all of them and you'll be very comfortable. Total time is roughly 45–55 minutes if you do everything, far less if you pick one per group.

A note that comes first this week. This material is for understanding, not self-diagnosis. Survey resources describe categories of conditions; they don't qualify anyone to label themselves or a friend. If anything you read brings something up, our campus counseling center is free, confidential, and there for you — and in the U.S. you can call or text 988 anytime. Reaching out is a sign of strength.

Reading order that matches the lecture: ① what makes something a disorder + the DSM → ② a respectful survey of the major categories → ③ the treatments that work → ④ where and how to find help.

A habit to keep: read every claim about mental illness — here or anywhere — through the week's lenses: Is this respectful and person-first? Does it match the evidence? Is it describing a condition, or labeling a person?

① What Makes Something a Disorder · and the DSM

Maps to Lecture Segments 2–3. The 3 D's — distress, dysfunction, deviance — plus context and the biopsychosocial model; the DSM as a shared classification system, not a label of worth.

Reading — "What Is Abnormal Psychology? Definition and Examples" (Simply Psychology)
🔗 https://www.simplypsychology.org/abnormal-psychology.html
Why it's assigned: the cleanest plain-language tour of how psychologists define abnormality (statistical, social-norm, failure-to-function, and ideal-mental-health views — the ideas behind our 3 D's), why context matters, the biopsychosocial models, and the diathesis-stress model, all in one place.
⏱ ~10 min

Video — "Psychological Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #28"
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuhJ-GkRRQc
Why it earns the click: a lively, respectful 10-minute intro to how we define disorders (deviance, distress, dysfunction), the biopsychosocial approach, and what the DSM-5 is for — exactly Segments 2–3.
⏱ ~10 min

② A Respectful Survey of the Major Categories

Maps to Lecture Segment 3. Survey level, non-graphic, person-first. Remember: each is a recognizable, treatable health condition — naming it accurately is the opposite of name-calling.

Video — "OCD and Anxiety Disorders: Crash Course Psychology #29"
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX7jnVXXG5o
Why it earns the click: opens by naming the stigma problem directly, then walks through anxiety disorders (GAD, panic, phobias) and OCD accurately and humanely — the most common categories you'll meet. A clear companion to the survey segment.
⏱ ~11 min

③ Treatment That Works

Maps to Lecture Segment 6. The major therapy families and the throughline that matters most: evidence-based care, chosen because it works for that condition.

Reading — "Psychotherapy: Definition, Types, Techniques, & Efficacy" (Simply Psychology)
🔗 https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychotherapy.html
Why it's assigned: surveys the major modalities — CBT (the well-studied "gold standard"), psychodynamic, humanistic / person-centered, and family/systemic therapy — and lays out the evidence that therapy works (the average client does better than ~79% of untreated people; CBT often matches medication). Exactly the treatment segment, with the efficacy point we emphasize.
⏱ ~10 min

Video — "Getting Help — Psychotherapy: Crash Course Psychology #35"
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nEL44QkL9w
Why it earns the click: a warm 11-minute tour of what "getting help" looks like — psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral (exposure), cognitive, and group/family therapy, one at a time — so the therapy families click as real, approachable options.
⏱ ~11 min

④ Where and How to Find Help

Maps to Lecture Segment 7. The most useful link on this page if you or someone you know is struggling — knowing where to go is half the battle.

Reading — "Caring for Your Mental Health" (National Institute of Mental Health)
🔗 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/caring-for-your-mental-health
Why it's assigned: a trustworthy, public-health source on self-care, when to seek professional help, and exactly how to find it — including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988, free and 24/7) and how to talk to a provider. This is the "reaching out is a strength" segment in one page.
⏱ ~7 min

Optional one-stop reference (free online text)

If you'd like one optional reference, OpenStax Psychology 2e keeps its full text free to read online. Chapter 15 ("Psychological Disorders") covers everything in this week — defining disorders, the DSM, the major categories (anxiety, OCD, mood, PTSD, schizophrenia), and the perspectives — at survey depth, and it opens by noting plainly that mental disorders are neither necessary nor sufficient causes of violence.
🔗 https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/15-introduction
Why it's here: a reputable, currently-available reference you can skim for any category in more depth — entirely optional this week.

Pick-one quick path (≈21 min total)

In a hurry? Do exactly these two and you'll be ready for the quiz:
1. Watch Crash Course Psychology #28 — Psychological Disorders (groups ①–②: the 3 D's, biopsychosocial, the DSM).
2. Read Psychotherapy: Types & Efficacy (group ③: the major therapies + that they actually work), and skim NIMH — Caring for Your Mental Health (group ④: where to find help).

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell Prof. Bennett and use the OpenStax reference above in the meantime.
And once more, gently: these readings are for understanding, not self-diagnosis. If something here resonates, please reach out — the campus counseling center is free and confidential, and 988 is there 24/7. That's a strength, not a weakness.