Evidence-based diagnostic model for mental illness
The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) addresses what the authors say are limitations to the reliability and validity of traditional models like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) authoritative handbook used by clinicians and researchers around the world to diagnose and treat mental disorders. "HiTOP is the first attempt by any group of individuals to put forth a classification and diagnostic system that has the features we've described," says Leonard Simms, an associate professor in UB's Department of Psychology and one of the 40 researchers who worked with team leaders Roman Kotov of Stony Brook University, Robert Krueger of University of Minnesota, and David Watson of University of Notre Dame on the study that appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology . Simms, an expert in the description and classification of mental disorders, says the po...