HiTOP extra's

Question 1

Why was HiTOP developed? (4)

Answer 1

• Arbitrary boundaries between disorders (e.g., when does anxiety become “generalized anxiety disorder”?)
• High comorbidity (e.g., individuals often qualify for multiple disorders)
• Diagnostic heterogeneity (e.g., two people with the same diagnosis may have very different symptoms)
• Poor reliability of some diagnostic categories

Question 2

What is a core assumption of HiTOP?

Answer 2

psychopathology exists on a spectrum, where symptoms blend into each other rather than being strictly separate

Question 3

What is the General Factor of Psychopathology (“p-factor”)?

in HiTOP

Answer 3

• Some researchers propose that a single “p-factor” exists at the highest level, representing overall risk for mental illness.
• People with higher p-factor scores tend to have more severe and persistent mental health problems.
• The p-factor is similar to the idea of “g” (general intelligence) in cognitive psychology but applies to psychopathology.

Question 4

How does HiTOP account for comorbidity?

Answer 4

Since disorders blend into each other, HiTOP explains why so many individuals meet criteria for multiple conditions