Panel

The birth of Precision Psychiatry, and the future of mental and behavioral health

Friday June 23, 09:40, Stavros Niarchos Hall GNO

In this panel, moderator Steve Kushner introduced the idea of precision psychiatry, which involves the stages of diagnosis, prevention, and treatment based on the biology of each individual. First of all, George Yancopoulos reported that new treatments for diseases are hard to get approved by the FDA, resulting in a small number of medicines coming out every year. Additionally, fundamental for the development of new treatments is the understanding of human genetic variation and the way in which it causes diseases. David Lowenthal highlighted the need to treat patients as human beings, offering them patient-centered care. This approach requires health care literacy not only by patients themselves, but also by providers. What’s more, access to health care services, as well as transparency in the use of AI in medicine are of paramount importance. From his part, Rui Costa delved into the impact of genetic predisposition on the emergence of diseases and the impact of mental health disorders on the human body. The understanding of the biology of mental illness is crucial for its cure. The field of psychobiology, he asserted, is a new way to think of the human organism as a whole. Rhonda Robinson Beale talked about the role of AI and machine learning as a marker and predictor of mental health issues, which can lead to timely and personalized treatment and to efficient risk assessment of the population. Finally, all speakers agreed that precision psychiatry is at an infant stage with many years of research and development ahead. This effort requires hope and humility, as well as partnership, investments and the creation of bridges across different domains.

Moderated by Steve Kushner