Retiring Categorical Systems and the Biomedical Model of Mental Illness: The Why and the How—A Clinician’s Perspective

Abstract

This article offers a transdiagnostic framework for the prevention and treatment of mental health by reducing early psychopathology. The framework supports the contention that the time has come to retire dominant categorical classification systems of mental disorders (e.g. DSM and ICD), and the current prevailing biomedical model of mental illness by moving to a psychosocial model of psychopathology. This entails reclaiming and integrating the long-standing legacy of psychology with recent advances in neuroscience and related disciplines. To this end, this conceptual paper synthesizes and integrates the extant literature and empirical findings, takes a scientist-practitioner stance, and draws on recent developments in transdiagnostic approaches to mental health, psychotherapy integration and advances in modern attachment theory. The advantages of this approach are that: 1) Clarifies the existing confusion surrounding the myriad of different interventions available; 2) Enables consistent funding guidelines from healthcare and community education systems; 3) Is more likely to have a greater positive impact for most people; 4) Reduces general psychopathology risks in childhood; 5) Avoids the challenge that prevention is less successful in later life; 6) Better addresses the stigma associated with mental illness; and 7) Maximizes the efficiency of interventions.