Assessing, Diagnosing, and Treating Serious Mental Disorders uniquely provides information that is useful across mental health, psychopathology, practice, and human behavior and development classes, particularly for psychopathology and advanced mental health practice courses. DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria is provided for each mental disorder discussed in the textbook.

This book represents a new wave of social work education, focusing on mental disorders as an interaction among neurobiology, genetics, and ecological social systems. Edward Taylor argues that most all mental disorders have a foundation within the person's brain that differentially interacts with the social environment. Therefore, how the brain is involved in mental disorders is covered far more comprehensively than found in most social work textbooks. However, the purpose is not to turn social workers into neuroscientists, but to prepare them for educating, supporting, and where appropriate providing treatment for, clients and families facing mental illness.

Entire chapters are dedicated to explaining bioecological and other related theories, family support and intervention, and assessment methods. To help students conceptualize methods, the book includes specific steps for assessing needs, joining, and including families in mental health treatment decisions. Methods for helping families become part of the treatment team and for providing in-home interventions are highlighted. Throughout the book, readers can find helpful outlines and illustrations for how to understand, assess, and treat mental disorders.