Cureus. 2025 May 21;17(5):e84580. doi: 10.7759/cureus.84580. eCollection 2025 May.
ABSTRACT
Psychiatric nosology, traditionally represented by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), is based on categorical diagnoses that have not met the current needs of clinicians. The so-called transdiagnostic approach appears to offer promise for classifying mental disorders. In the present study, our objective was to conduct a descriptive analysis of this approach in psychiatry based on the current literature. This study is a narrative review that utilized a bibliographic search for original and review articles on the transdiagnostic approach in psychiatry. The following keywords were used: “transdiagnostic”, “psychiatry”, “diagnosis”, “approach”, and “classification.” Searches were conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scielo, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Lilacs, and Hinari. Articles in English and Spanish with publication dates between 2003 and 2024 were included. A total of 261 records were identified for screening, and 104 were retrieved for full review. The DSM and ICD are systems that define aspects of our conceptualization of mental health. More recently, however, transdiagnostic perspectives have gained prominence, particularly through frameworks such as the RDoC (Research Domain Criteria) and HiTOP (Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology). The RDoC stands out for guiding research on the neurobiological bases of psychopathology. HiTOP is based on data and a hierarchy that conceptualizes psychopathology as a set of transdiagnostic dimensions and spectra. Both approaches, with their strengths and weaknesses, could be an interface and the basis for a new nosology in psychiatry. There is consensus on the need for a new operational framework for classification. The transdiagnostic approach could be the contemporary answer to this premise. The challenge is to develop further research and standardize the definition of the construct.
PMID:40546608 | PMC:PMC12181037 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.84580
