2021 Articles

The Ethical Conundrums of “Precision Psychiatry”

Di Sapia Natarelli, Gabrielle

“Precision psychiatry” is one aspect of the growing field of precision medicine.  Precision psychiatry will provide individualized care tailored to certain biomarkers. The patient’s unique mental health profile is at the core of advancing machine learning models for clinical practice. Traditionally psychiatrists used a “trial-and-error” approach to standardized drugs, whereas precision psychiatry integrates objectivity with the diagnosis and treatment. The long-term benefits of precision psychiatry include generating effective therapeutic plans for a person, eliminating the emotional burden of the trial-and-error process, and optimizing medications currently on the market for sustained use. To take advantage of the many benefits of precision psychiatry, more mental health practitioners, an effective allocation plan, and the continuation of traditional psychiatry are necessary. Precision psychiatry should not supplant traditional psychiatry as not all practitioners and patients will have access to it.