A novel way of understanding psychiatric disorders in adolescents is mapping the disorders into a geometric space with a limited number of dimensions and no disorder aligning along one single dimension. In addition, it has also been found that the geometric dimensions are hierarchically organized, allowing for analyses at different levels of the organization. Furthermore, individuals with psychiatric disorders present with a broad range of liabilities, reflecting the diversity of their clinical presentations.
Method
Exploratory factor analyses of data from the National Comorbidity Survey Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A) with the psychiatric diagnoses as indicators were used to identify the latent major psychopathological dimensions. The loadings of the disorders on those dimensions were served as "coordinates" to calculate the Euclidean distances between disorders. The distribution of individuals in the space was based on the latent factor scores reflecting the major psychopathological conditions. 2nd-order factor analysis was also developed to show that these common psychiatric disorders were hierarchically organized.
The first plot was the one that can be found in the publication, a way of presenting the geometric relationship among the 16 mental disorders occurred in adolescents in a 3D box.In the plot: 1. Major Depressive Episode/Dysthymia; 2. Generalized Anxiety Disorder; 3. Mania/Hypomania; 4. Specific Phobia; 5. Agoraphobia (with/without panic disorder); 6. Social Anxiety Disorder; 7. Panic Disorder; 8. Separation Disorder; 9. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; 10. Eating Disorder; 11. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; 12. Oppositional Defiant Disorder; 13. Conduct Disorder; 14. Drug Use Disorder; 15. Alcohol Use Disorder; 16. Nicotine Dependence. The second plot presents the relationship in a complex (social) network approach: the sizes of the nodes represent the prevalences of the 16 disorders; the distances between each pair of the disorders represent the Euclidean distances calculated based on the factor loadings as coordinates.
Hierarchical structure of common psychiatric disorders: results of 2nd-order factor analysis of the 16 common psychiatric disorders in adolescents - a paper publication version.
Hierarchical structure of common psychiatric disorders: results of 2nd-order factor analysis of the 16 common psychiatric disorders in adolescents - a web clickable version.