The progression from early psychopathological symptoms to severe disorders is typically heterogeneous. For instance, adolescents who initially report similar symptoms might later meet the criteria of qualitatively distinct disorders and vice versa. Insight in the route from prodromal symptoms to severe disorders is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment. The course of symptoms over time is best captured by designs that involve time series data in adolescents, who are by definition vulnerable for first-onset complaints. Since symptom trajectories tend to transcend diagnostic boundaries, such designs require a transdiagnostic approach. The current symposium includes four studies that all fulfilled these criteria and adopted innovative methods in order to improve our understanding in the characteristics of different stages of psychopathology (e.g. increased risk, mild symptoms and severe symptoms). Robin Groen presents findings on whether patterns of symptom co-occurrence differ across varying levels of symptom severity, using a transdiagnostic network approach. Jessica Hartmann will complement these findings by introducing CHARMS (Clinical High At-Risk Mental State) criteria that aim to distinguish between different stages of disorders. Moreover, the potential of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) to signal adolescents’ current symptom severity and their vulnerability for future psychopathological symptoms will be outlined. Lars Pieper will discuss how EMA-based symptom clusters may improve the early identification of disorders. Finally, Marieke Schreuder will show that specific mood dynamics might reveal the nature of upcoming symptoms. This work will outline how a complex dynamic system’s approach to psychopathology may allow us to anticipate the emergence of certain symptom clusters.
