Research Domain Criteria

Despite hopes that the latest DSM-5 would incorporate transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology, it retained a categorical approach while recommending continued research into appropriateness of a dimensional approach.

As a result, the US National Institute of Mental Health developed the Research Domains Criteria (RDoC) in 2009, which presents a more transdiagnostic approach to mental health (Kelly et al., 2021; Dalgleish et al., 2020).

There are seven domains of human functioning and behaviour which can be impacted by a particular mental ill health condition:

  • Arousal and regulatory systems

  • Cognitive systems

  • Negative valence systems

  • Positive valence systems

  • Self-processing systems

  • Sensorimotor systems

  • Social processing systems

These domains can be further categorized into more specific factors (referred to as constructs). For example, negative valence systems include constructs like acute threat, sustained threat, and loss. These constructs and their domains can be further analyzed by looking at the molecular or cellular level, physiological level, and behavioural level (Hakak-Zargar et al., 2022).

Criticism of RDOC

There has been some criticism that the RDoC threatens to decouple clinical and research concerns, supporting a reductionist brain-centric model of mental distress, and privileging research based on neuroimaging.

Ultimately, both DSM and RDoC may be seen to reinforce medicalization and biological reductionism.

References

Dalgleish, T., Black, M., Johnston, D., & Bevan, A. (2020). Transdiagnostic approaches to mental health problems: Current status and future directions. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 88(3), 179–195.

Hakak-Zargar, B., Tamrakar, A., Voth, T., Sheikhi, A., Multani, J., & Schütz, C. G. (2022). The Utility of Research Domain Criteria in Diagnosis and Management of Dual Disorders: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13.

Kelly, J.R., Gillan, C. M., Prenderville, J., Kelly, C., Harkin, A., Clarke, G., & O’Keane, V. (2021). Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12.