Psychological Disorders

You must have come across people who are unhappy, troubled, and dissatisfied. Their minds and hearts are filled with sorrow, unrest, and tension and they feel that they are unable to move ahead in their lives; they feel life is a painful, uphill struggle, sometimes not worth living. Famousanalytical psychologist Carl Jung has quite remarkably said, “How can Ibe substantial without casting a shadow? I must have a dark side, too, if I am to be whole and by becoming conscious of my shadow, I remember once more that I am a human being like any other”. At times, some of you may have felt nervous before an important examination, tense and concerned about your future career, or anxious when someone close to you was unwell. All of us face major problems at some point in our lives. However, some people have an extreme reaction to the problems and stresses of life. In this chapter, we will try to understand what goes wrong when people develop psychological problems, what are the causes and factors which lead to abnormal behaviour, and what are the various signs and symptoms associated with different types of psychological disorders?