Symptoms and Their Relationship to Diagnosis: A Commentary on “Symptom Descriptions in Psychopathology: How Well Are They Working for Us?” (Wilshire et al., 2021)

Abstract

Symptoms are vital representations of human disorders, are key to understanding disorders, and may be the focus of specific therapeutic efforts. Symptoms are imperfect, and there are many influences on how they are described and understood. Are they hand servants of diagnosis or important in their own right? The answer seems to be both, but diagnosis is typically the way in which communication about psychopathology occurs internationally in many clinical disciplines. Diagnosis is also the basis of knowledge of the natural history of psychopathology and its treatment and therapy. Investigations into the nature and meaning of symptoms can helpfully focus on emerging disorders, of which gaming disorder is provided as an example.