Dimensional versus Categorical Models of Psychopathology

Mental disorders are currently diagnosed within the DSM as qualitatively distinct categories. However, the question of whether mental disorders are discrete clinical conditions or arbitrary distinctions along dimensions of functioning is a longstanding issue. The importance of this issue is escalating with the growing recognition of the frustrations and limitations engendered by the categorical model. The major innovation of the DSM-5 was intended to be a further recognition of the dimensional perspective. An overview of the limitations of the categorical model and the potential advantages of the dimensional are provided herein, with a particular focus on depression, behavioral addiction, personality disorders, and intellectual disability.