Why Psychiatric Research Must Abandon Traditional Diagnostic Classification and Adopt a Fully Dimensional Scope: Two Solutions to a Persistent Problem

Objective and quantitative equilibriometric evaluation of individual locomotor behaviour in schizophrenia: Translational and clinical implications

“…Our research data provide further evidence that the treatment decisions for the individual schizophrenic patients are more correct if they are guided by the objectively measured LMPs . Such an objective and quantitative evaluation at a single‐patient level is in line with the modern tendency for personalized and precision medicine in the psychiatric neuroscience research, aimed at replacing the traditional categorical diagnostic approach with a more dimensional one that looks for “theranostic” rather than for diagnostic biomarkers . It is interesting to note that just in the last few years the motor dimension was proposed to be included in the translational psychiatric neuroscience research .…”

“…4,5 Such an objective and quantitative evaluation at a single-patient level is in line with the modern tendency for personalized 36,61,62 and precision 63,64 medicine in the psychiatric neuroscience research, aimed at replacing the traditional categorical diagnostic approach with a more dimensional one 64-68 that looks for "theranostic" 69 rather than for diagnostic biomarkers. 67,68 It is interesting to note that just in the last few years the motor dimension was proposed to be included in the translational psychiatric neuroscience research. 36,65,66 It is noteworthy that instrumental motor measures are capable of detecting subthreshold movement abnormalities that are not detectable to the eye.…”

“…Because specific movement domains are closely tied to underlying brain circuits, [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]34,36,37,41,44,47,48,[52][53][54][55]65,66 motor markers are more convenient for cross-diagnostic approaches. 36,39,[65][66][67][68] The chance of detecting objectively measurable dysfunctions at a single-patient level is an incomparable precedent for the everyday clinical psychiatric practice, having in mind that even highly sensitive and expensive neuroimaging methods are not yet capable to detect specific brain dysfunctions at the level of an individual schizophrenic patient. Detecting locomotor dysmetria and ataxia in high-risk individuals provides an opportunity to uncover the underlying schizophrenic process in the brain long before its clinical manifestation by symptomatic psychosis.…”

Posttraumatic stress disorder and posttraumatic growth in a national sample of pediatric oncology professionals

“…The question remains as to whether PCL‐C scores might reflect transdiagnostic distress, burnout, or specific reactions to trauma. Studies designed based on frameworks such as The National Institutes of Health Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) could elucidate how PTSD relates to burnout, compassion fatigue, other disorders, and underlying dimensions of psychopathology …”

Identifying dyslexia with confirmatory latent profile analysis

“…Diagnosis in psychology is typically a dichotomous decision, although it is generally acknowledged that many psychological symptoms are dimensional (Hudziak, Achenbach, Althoff, & Pine, ) and psychological disorders do not represent mutually exclusive “natural kinds” (Hengartner & Lehmann, ; Zachar & Kendler, ). Despite calls for dimensional diagnostic systems (e.g., Widiger & Trull, ), practitioners must make dichotomous diagnostic decisions, partially because of the structure of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , 5th ed.…”