A new science of mental disorders: Using personalised, transdiagnostic, dynamical systems to understand, model, diagnose and treat psychopathology

• DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104096
• Publication Date: 2022-04-14T06:46:39Z
• Authors: Anne Roefs; Eiko I. Fried; Merel Kindt; Carolien Martijn; Bernet Elzinga; Andrea W.M. Evers; Reinout W. Wiers; Denny Borsboom; Anita Jansen
• Keywords: Network approach; SYMPTOMS; NETWORK ANALYSIS; 150; CRITICAL SLOWING-DOWN; Comorbidity; Transdiagnostic processes; Mental disorders; CLASSIFICATION; CENTRALITY; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; EARLY-WARNING SIGNALS; ANXIETY; Humans; Network intervention; PERSPECTIVE; Psychopathology; Mental Disorders; DEPRESSION; 3. Good health; PARADIGM SHIFT; COMORBIDITY; Network diagnosis; DOMAIN CRITERIA RDOC

The core ideas of a 10-year research program 'New Science Mental Disorders' are outlined. This moves away from the disorder-based 'one-model-fits-all' approach to treating mental disorders, and adopts network psychopathology as its foundation research. Its assumption is that dynamically interacting symptoms constitute disorder. Our goal further develop by studying (1) dynamic networks other variables (i.e., elements) in large number individuals with wide range disorders transdiagnostic perspective (network-based diagnosis; mapping), including both Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) digital phenotyping, (2) mechanisms reflecting potential causal relations among elements performing experimental (pre-)clinical studies (zooming), (3) effectiveness personalised network-informed interventions (targeting). Challenges overcome this discussed, which relate data collection (e.g., selection EMA variables) analyses power considerations), development application diagnoses what characteristic(s) target interventions), implementation clinical practice train therapists use therapy).