This course has two objectives, one concerned with content and the other with awareness. The content goal includes the major symptoms, theories, terminology, research findings, and treatments for adult mental disorders. This material is contained in the lectures and the textbook and is tested on the examinations.

The second goal is increased self-awareness and understanding of yourself and others. This will be attempted through accounts from published autobiographies of people with mental disorders, examples from the media, and videotapes which put a human face on the disorders.