ABSTRACT
I state an obvious fact. The task of describing the conceptual makeup of the category or domain of mental disorder is truly daunting. Mental disorder is such a big and varied category of states and conditions. How can it be mean-
ingfully decided what mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, delusional disorders, impulse control disorders, etc., have in common? But this chapter aims to give the task a try. Or more exactly: it aims to begin the task. The chapter is about how to construct a sound and sensible concept of mental disorder. Not just of disorder and not just of the reference of the term ‘mental’ in the expression ‘mental disorder’, but of the category of mental disorder. This chapter helps to set the stage for the theory of mental disorder to be constructed and applied in the rest of the book.
