Summary
Psychiatric classification based on ICD and DSM categories has long been questioned, and the “transdiagnostic” approach has been proposed as a way to cut across those categories. This systematic review examines whether research that calls itself transdiagnostic lives up to that promise.
A multi-step Web of Science search, following an a priori protocol, identified all studies with the word “transdiagnostic” in the title up to May 5, 2018. Core characteristics of each study were extracted, and the review was complemented by a bibliometric analysis and a conceptual analysis. A total of 111 studies were included.
Most studies examined interventions, followed by cognition and psychological processes and neuroscientific topics. The review found inconsistencies in how the diagnostic gold standard, the outcome measures, and the transdiagnostic approach itself were defined. Study quality was generally low and few findings were externally replicated. About one fifth of the studies were not transdiagnostic at all. The bibliometric analysis showed a focus largely limited to anxiety and depressive disorders.
Why it matters
The authors conclude that transdiagnostic approaches have not yet produced a credible paradigm shift for classification and clinical care, and they offer practical recommendations to guide future research.
Citation
Fusar-Poli, P., Solmi, M., Brondino, N., Davies, C., Chae, C., Politi, P., Borgwardt, S., Lawrie, S. M., Parnas, J., & McGuire, P. (2019). Transdiagnostic psychiatry: A systematic review. World Psychiatry, 18(2), 192–207. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20631
Indexed in: SSCI
Citation
@online{2019,
author = {},
title = {Transdiagnostic {Psychiatry:} {A} {Systematic} {Review}},
date = {2019-06-01},
url = {https://chadchae.github.io/posts_publication/2019-06-01-transdiagnostic-psychiatry-systematic-review/transdiagnostic-psychiatry-systematic-review.html},
langid = {en}
}