---
title: Abnormal Psychology
description: This branch of psychology studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought. Learners will understand the classification, diagnostic criteria, etiologies, and clinical presentations of various mental health disorders and psychological conditions.
category: social-sciences
subcategory: psychology
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/abnormal-psychology
---

# Abnormal Psychology

This branch of psychology studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought. Learners will understand the classification, diagnostic criteria, etiologies, and clinical presentations of various mental health disorders and psychological conditions.

## Available Resources

3 Books • 4 Websites

## Websites

### 1. NIMH Mental Health Information

The US National Institute of Mental Health's topic pages on depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and more, summarizing symptoms, prevalence, and evidence-based treatments, with links to current clinical trials and federally funded research.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics

**Tags:** mental-health, psychiatry, abnormal-psychology, clinical-psychology, mental-disorders

### 2. psychiatry.org

Official site of the American Psychiatric Association, offering professional resources for psychiatrists and trainees—education and CME, clinical guidelines and ethics, advocacy and policy updates, journals, and patient resources.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://psychiatry.org

**Tags:** websites, health-medicine, clinical-medicine

### 3. nimh.nih.gov

NIMH.nih.gov is the National Institute of Mental Health’s official site, offering evidence-based information on mental illnesses (including anxiety and depression), their symptoms and treatments, coping strategies, and up-to-date research, news, and clinical-trial resources for patients, families, and professionals.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://nimh.nih.gov

**Tags:** websites, health-medicine, health-and-wellness

### 4. dsm.psychiatryonline.org

APA's DSM on PsychiatryOnline hosts the official DSM-5-TR content for mental health diagnosis. It provides diagnostic criteria, disorder descriptions, specifiers, and coding guidance for clinicians.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org

**Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, psychology

## Podcasts

### 1. Speaking of Psychology

**Author:** American Psychological Association

"Speaking of Psychology" is an audio podcast series highlighting some of the latest, most important and relevant psychological research being conducted today. Produced by the American Psychological Association, these podcasts will help listeners apply the science of psychology to their everyday lives.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.apa.org/speakingofpsychology

**Tags:** psychological-research, mental-health, behavioral-science, apa

## Books

### 1. The Body Keeps the Score

**Author:** Bessel van der Kolk

Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk synthesizes decades of trauma research to argue that traumatic memory registers in the body and nervous system, then surveys treatments including EMDR, neurofeedback, and yoga. Readers gain a framework for why talk therapy alone often fails PTSD patients.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143127748?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, psychology

### 2. Abnormal Psychology

**Author:** Timothy A. Brown, David H. Barlow

A companion casebook to standard abnormal psychology texts: extended clinical cases, each tracing presenting symptoms, DSM diagnosis, treatment course, and outcome. Working through them builds skill at applying diagnostic criteria to messy real patient histories.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0534605869?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, psychology

### 3. DSM-5 in Action

**Author:** Sophia F. Dziegielewski

Practical guide to applying DSM diagnostic criteria in clinical assessment and treatment planning, built around worked case studies. This edition covers DSM-IV-TR with a supplementary chapter on the changes introduced by DSM-5.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1118784774?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, psychology

---

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