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Exploring the underlying structure of mental disorders: cross-diagnostic differences and similarities from a network perspective using both a top-down and a bottom-up approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2015

J. T. W. Wigman ,
J. van Os ,
D. Borsboom ,
K. J. Wardenaar ,
S. Epskamp ,
A. Klippel ,
W. Viechtbauer ,
I. Myin-Germeys ,
M. Wichers  and
MERGE
J. T. W. Wigman*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
J. van Os
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands Department of Psychosis Studies, King's College London, King's Health Partners, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London, UK
D. Borsboom
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
K. J. Wardenaar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
S. Epskamp
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A. Klippel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
W. Viechtbauer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
I. Myin-Germeys
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
M. Wichers
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
MERGE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr J. T. W. Wigman, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

It has been suggested that the structure of psychopathology is best described as a complex network of components that interact in dynamic ways. The goal of the present paper was to examine the concept of psychopathology from a network perspective, combining complementary top-down and bottom-up approaches using momentary assessment techniques.

Method

A pooled Experience Sampling Method (ESM) dataset of three groups (individuals with a diagnosis of depression, psychotic disorder or no diagnosis) was used (pooled N = 599). The top-down approach explored the network structure of mental states across different diagnostic categories. For this purpose, networks of five momentary mental states (‘cheerful’, ‘content’, ‘down’, ‘insecure’ and ‘suspicious’) were compared between the three groups. The complementary bottom-up approach used principal component analysis to explore whether empirically derived network structures yield meaningful higher order clusters.

Results

Individuals with a clinical diagnosis had more strongly connected moment-to-moment network structures, especially the depressed group. This group also showed more interconnections specifically between positive and negative mental states than the psychotic group. In the bottom-up approach, all possible connections between mental states were clustered into seven main components that together captured the main characteristics of the network dynamics.

Conclusions

Our combination of (i) comparing network structure of mental states across three diagnostically different groups and (ii) searching for trans-diagnostic network components across all pooled individuals showed that these two approaches yield different, complementary perspectives in the field of psychopathology. The network paradigm therefore may be useful to map transdiagnostic processes.

Keywords

DepressionESMnetwork approachpsychiatrypsychopathologypsychosis
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 45 , Issue 11 , August 2015 , pp. 2375 - 2387
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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