CBT at the Crossroads: The Rise of Transdiagnostic Treatments

Abstract

Transdiagnostic treatments span a heterogeneous group of interventions that target a wider range of disorders and can be applied to treat several disorders simultaneously. Several meta-analyses have highlighted the evidence base of these novel therapies. However, these meta-analyses adopt different definitions of transdiagnostic treatments, and the growing field of transdiagnostic therapies has become increasingly difficult to grasp. The current narrative review proposes a distinction of “one size fits all” unified and “my size fits me” individualized approaches within transdiagnostic therapies. Unified treatments are applied as “broadband” interventions to a range of disorders without tailoring to the individual, while individualized treatments are tailored to the specific problem presentation of the individual, e.g., by selecting modules within modular treatments. The underlying theoretical foundation and relevant empirical evidence for these different transdiagnostic approaches are examined. Advantages and limitations of the transdiagnostic treatments as well as future developments are discussed.