Complex Systems Approaches to Psychopathology

Clinical research and practice are permeated by complexity. In recent years, researchers have witnessed a sharp increase in scientific studies that acknowledge this complexity and approach psychopathology from the perspective of complex systems. In this chapter, the authors provide an introduction to the complex systems approaches that have received the most attention in psychopathology. They begin by discussing the general idea of complexity and complex systems and then turn to the framework of complex dynamic system models and how they have been applied to psychopathology. After this, the authors discuss early warning signals, which hold the promise of using insights from complexity science to enable personalized prediction and timely intervention. Finally, the authors go through the recently popular network approach to psychopathology and how it is related to the broader framework of complex systems. Throughout the chapter, the authors discuss the applications, challenges, and limitations of these approaches.