This paper will provide an overview of mental illness and behavioural problems in children and adolescents. Child psychopathology will be considered from a developmental perspective within several major theoretical approaches (biological, cognitive­behavioural, psychodynamic, and family/cultural/social). We will also discuss factors that put children at risk for developing disorders and factors that may protect them from adverse outcomes. We will explore the various types of disorders with an emphasis on the empirical research pertaining to causes, treatment, and prognosis. Students will be encouraged to apply this knowledge in developing ideas about prevention and social policy.

This paper has one three hour class session per week which I hope all students will attend if possible. These sessions are a combination of lecture and discussion, and you will benefit most if you complete the reading before class so that you can join in the discussion and use your reading to make sense of the content. The class sessions will not duplicate the reading; you are expected to read it. Class sessions will ordinarily be recorded for later review or in case of illness. Assignments (Brief Topics and Essays) are intended to help you to integrate and use the concepts you are learning; flexibility is built in so that you can choose which assignments to complete, in accordance with your schedule and the demands of your academic programme; however, this means it is incumbent on you to plan well and having a lot of other assignments is not an acceptable excuse for missing a deadline.