MH

Mental health problems are far too complex to categorising.

It is a myth that mental health problems like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder are simple, singular diseases, a recent scientific paper argues.

Mental health problems have multiple causes and symptoms, many of which overlap.

The more scientists learn about mental health problems, the clearer it is that the categories do not work.

Someone diagnosed with depression, for example, is very likely to also be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

In fact, they are more likely to appear together than separately — this shows that depression and anxiety are unlikely to be separate.

The conclusions come from a review of three different ways mental disorders are classified around the world.