Commentary: Are ADHD symptoms habit-like? - A commentary on Goodman et al (2014)

Abstract

The recent publication of the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) unleashed a torrent of dissatisfaction with and criticism of the ongoing use of a symptom-based classification system, based on descriptive phenotypical features. Thus, the 'multiple memory systems' framework proposed in the accompanying Annual Research Review by Goodman et al. (Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 2014, XX) as a potential explanatory mechanism underlying several psychiatric disorders, is innovative and consistent with an emergent focus on transdiagnostic core mechanisms. In this commentary, I discuss the 'merit and mire' of the proposed framework, focusing on its potential for delineating neurobehavioral mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, with particular emphasis on one of the neurodevelopmental disorders, ADHD. © 2014 The Author. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.