Transsemptomatic Diagnosis as a Replacement for Transdiagnostic Approach in Psychiatry

Abstract

Traditionally, the DSM and ICD diagnostic systems have been based on the principle that mental disorders are separate diseases with different etiologies and clinical manifestations. On the other hand, the transdiagnostic approach argues that many diseases such as anxiety and depression share a common etiology and have similar clinical features, pointing to the great overlap between different psychiatric disorders in genetic, epidemiological and neuroscience studies. In this context, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) project was initiated in order to create a research model and shape future classifications. Unlike traditional diagnostic classifications, RDoC assumes diseases as pathophysiology-based dysfunctions of the brain's neuronal circuits rather than symptom clusters. However, there are limitations in transdiagnostic approach studies such as complex methodologies, unclear criteria, inclusion of very different diagnoses in the same study, and insufficient inclusion of serious psychiatric diseases. In this article, the importance of correct diagnosis in psychiatry is stated by emphasizing “Trans-symptomatic diagnosis” instead of “Transdiagnostic approach”..