Psychological disorders are understood as patterns of experience and behavior that deviate from the population norm and are associated with subjective distress. Various disorders also have been distinguished, such as mood disorders or substance-related disorders.

It has been shown that men and women have differing vulnerabilities with various psychological disorders. Such differences are documented in the diagnostic compendium Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition. The most typical differences are that women have about twice the risk of men of being affected by mood, anxiety, or eating disorders. Men, in contrast, have a somewhat higher risk with respect to antisocial personality and substance-related disorders.