Can precision medicine advance psychiatry?

Abstract

Precision medicine is a new approach that considers differences in genes, environment, and lifestyle in an attempt to tailor treatments for individual patients. Psychiatry, as a discipline, has historically relied on clinical judgement and phenomenology-based diagnostic guidelines and has yet to take full advantage. This editorial provides an insight into the expanding role of precision medicine in psychiatry, both in research and clinical practice. It discusses the application of genetics and subgroup stratification in increasing response rates to therapeutic interventions, mainly focusing on major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. It presents an overview of machine learning techniques and how they are being integrated with traditional research methods within the field. In the context of these developments, while emphasizing the considerable potential for moving toward precision psychiatry, we also acknowledge the inherent challenges.