From competition to co-operation: Shifting the “one best model” perspective

Abstract

Mental disorders are arguably one of the most complex and serious problems facing health practitioners today and yet their causes remain, largely, a mystery. Accordingly, there is frequent and heated debate over which of the many available models of mental disorder and their associated therapeutic interventions are likely to be most useful. The prevailing attitude toward the conceptualization of mental distress appears to be that a single superior model will emerge that neatly accounts for one or more disorder presentations: the “One Best Model” (OBM) perspective. In this article, we argue for a transition away from the OBM perspective toward a multiple model approach to psychopathology that is collaborative and pluralistic. We begin by outlining the particulars of the OBM perspective and elaborating on the problems it presents for psychopathology theory and practice. We then suggest specific ways in which this problem may be ameliorated, by adjusting how we approach the processes of modelling disorder, translating models into interventions, and applying models and interventions in practice.