Why We Need a Transdiagnostic Staging Approach to Emerging Psychopathology, Early Diagnosis, and Treatment

Clinical staging is an emerging heuristic framework that allows the boundary between health and illness to be defined and managed such that interventions can be proportional to need and overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and undertreatment can be minimised.

“Clinical staging 197,200-203 is one such emerging heuristic framework, which allows the boundary between health and illness to be defined and managed such that interventions can be proportional to need and overdiagnosis, overtreatment, and undertreatment can be minimised. 200,202-205”

Transdiagnostic models recognise the fluid nature of mental illness in this age group and distinguish early clinical stages (assumed low progression) from later stages (high persistence, impairment, disease extension).

“Transdiagnostic models 197,198 recognise the fluid nature of mental illness in this age group and make a distinction between early clinical stages (which are assumed to have low rates of progression to severe, persistent, or recurrent disorders) and later stages (which are characterised by high rates of persistence, impairment, and disease extension). 199”

Prevention trials have explored Vitamin D insufficiency and inflammation, using supplementation and low dose aspirin respectively, without any evidence of efficacy.

“Prevention trials have explored Vitamin D insufficiency and inflammation, using supplementation 464 and low dose aspirin 465 respectively, without any evidence of efficacy.”