background There is an increasing awareness that the current approach to clinical thought and work in psychiatry in relation to psychiatric diagnosis, treatment and research has its limitations. This necessitates a process to reform both the clinical practice and future scientific research. One way to reform this is the transdiagnostic approach.
aim To clarify the psychological, biological and therapeutic aspects of a transdiagnostic approach in psychiatry.
method An analysis of new approaches based on recent findings from the recent literature.
results Transdiagnostic psychiatry is a relatively new concept which is still under development. The examples extracted from the reviewed literature on developmental psychology, neurobiology and treatment demonstrate that this approach may lead to improvements in clinical care and generate new etiological insights.
conclusion A transdiagnostic approach in psychiatry may lead to new insights that are relevant for clinical practice and future scientific research.