This book offers a balanced, authoritative and objective portrait of the field today, encompassing all major theoretical models of abnormality, research directions, clinical experiences, therapies and controversies. Comer presents the subject clearly and compassionately, bringing in fascinating side points and quotes, hundreds of case studies, key definitions and special topic highlights. The sixth edition offers extensive updating and restructured coverage, e.g. on personality disorders, the psychodynamic perspective, neuroscience, the 'empirically-based treatment' movement, and disorders of childhood/adolescence and aging.