By: Aditya Shukla, Cognition Today
Diagnositic criteria do not fit real-world mental health problems. Transdiagnosis is a model of mental health that says symptoms are connected to each other and mental health issues overlap with each other very deeply.
One mental health issue transforms into something else. E.g., anxiety can transform into depression. Sleep issues can transform into negative thinking. Relationship problems can transform into health issues.
Seeking therapy or any form of recovery can convert one issue into another. E.g., Anxiety can lead to a gym-focused life that later transforms into body-image issues
Since issues have many components like emotion, thoughts, motivation, body, social, spirituality, culture, etc., a root cause doesn't exist in most cases. It many different systems affecting many other systems.
Transdiagnosis cares about what aspects of life are feeding a problem or protecting against a problem instead of identifying a root cause that may or may not exist.