
Precision Medicine for Mental Disorders
Precision medicine seems to be the new hot topic in the research world. What precisely is it?
Precision medicine seems to be the new hot topic in the research world. President Obama spoke about precision medicine in his
Most of the conversation about precision medicine focuses on cancer. Because cancer is a disease of genetic mutations leading to unregulated cell division, defining the precise mutations in the affected tissue have already led to breakthrough treatments for both blood and solid tissue cancers. In fact, the same mutation can occur in different parts of the body, so cancer is increasingly diagnosed in terms of its genetic and molecular signature rather than the tissue of origin. Part of the proposed precision medicine plan will involve scaling up efforts at the National Cancer Institute to find these mutations and to develop drugs or biologics as treatments.
What does precision medicine mean for mental health? Our version is the
I know that RDoC sounds more complex than the cancer version of precision medicine, but that is the nature of the problem. For now, we need to embrace the complexity to identify the simpler, actionable categories that can be used in the clinic. The rationale for this approach is no different from what the President talked about for cancer or cystic fibrosis-getting the right treatment at the right time to the right person.
Disclosures:
Dr Insel is Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Note: This article, originally published on February 2, 2015, is posted here courtesy of NIMH.
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