Mental health problems often co-occur, as do physical conditions. There is also comorbidity between mental and physical health problems, such as cancer and depression. In their recent work, Brandt et al. (2023) propose that the d(isease) factor explains why. They define the d factor as an “underlying disease dimension […] that accounts for the individuals’ propensity to develop mental as well as physical conditions”, and as “a general vulnerability to develop any of the included conditions”. This rests on similar work in the mental health literature, where some have claimed to have identified a p(sychopathology) factor to explain the comorbidity among mental health problems (Caspi & Moffitt, 2018). Brandt et al. (2023) conclude that “our results support the assumption of the existence of a general d factor in adults”, and that this has important implications for both “conceptualization and classification of mental and physical conditions” as well as “clinical practice and policy”. I explain in this brief piece why these conclusions do not follow.
Fried, E. I. (2023, July 9). No evidence for the existence of the d (isease) factor. Retrieved from psyarxiv.com/47avw
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