[Psychopathological network analysis: methodological impasse, promising tool or an innovative trend that overwrites everything we know about mental disorders?]

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present the theoretical foundations of the network approach to psychopathology and to give an overview of what it promises to deliver, and also to summarize some of the key critiques it has received. According to this approach, mental disorders cannot be mapped with traditional modeling approaches, as they are multifactorial phenomena that are maintained by the complex interplay of various biological, psychological, and social factors. It is expected that new avenues of research may open up through network modeling, however, some have pointed out that a strong distinction between network and common cause models is not well supported. Critics of the network approach claim that network models of mental disorders do not replicate well, while others have found encouraging results in this regard. Although at the moment, the network approach to psychopathology faces signifi - cant challenges, it may facilitate the study of mechanisms involved in the formation and maintenance of mental dis - orders by grasping and intuitively visualizing their complex and dynamic nature, and ultimately may even contribute to the development of personalized treatment planning.