Sheri Johnson and Ann Kring balance theory and research with practice and clinical application to give learners a solid foundation in psychopathology and develop their understanding with up-to-date and relevant examples and contexts. They emphasize an integrative approach, showing how psychopathology is best understood by considering multiple perspectives -- biological, cognitive, behavioral, and socio-emotional -- and how these varying perspectives can provide us with the clearest accounting of the causes of these disorders as well as the best possible treatments.

The importance of stigma and mental illness is discussed throughout the book, and never is this more important than now when many social ills are too easily blamed on mental illness (e.g., gun violence) while we continue to warehouse people with mental illness in jails at an astonishing rate.

Adapted from the 16th edition of Kring and Johnson's popular text, The Science and Treatment of Psychological Disorders, this Fundamentals versionoffers a streamlined introduction to psychopathology, historical overview, and discussion of current approaches and provides a concise discussion of diagnosis, assessment, and research methods while retaining the thorough coverage of disorders and rich inventory of clinical cases found in the longer text.

The text provides a scientific perspective on significant issues in mental health that have recently been front and center in the media, for example, with discussion of COVID-19 and its impact on mental health, up-to-date science on opioids and vaping, and discussion of digital mental health, with a critical eye toward the hundreds of available yet untested apps.