Have you heard of precision psychiatry? She proposes to treat each patient more personalized, considering their biological characteristics – not just symptoms. For this, it uses your own body information, such as image exams, genetic tests and blood markers, which help guide more accurate and safe decisions.
For a long time, mental disorders were treated based on symptoms, patient history, clinical protocols and medical experience. Although there are well -defined diagnostic and therapeutic criteria, there is a certain degree of unpredictability, as current resources accurately show which brain mechanisms are involved – nor how each person’s organism can react to treatments. Precision psychiatry comes precisely to add: offering biological clues that help refine conduct.
When the brain shows the way
Examinations such as Functional Magnetic Resonance (FMRI) and Positron emission tomography (PET) allow you to observe the brain in real time. They show the activity of different regions and help differentiate disorders with similar symptoms such as depression and bipolar disorder. They reveal, for example, that each disorder affects the brain in a specific way. Although they are not yet part of routine clinical practice, these resources have contributed to research that brings the diagnosis of the understanding of brain functioning.
Blood clues
Blood can also bring valuable information. Researchers study biomarkers such as the BDNF-a factor that stimulates the growth and survival of neurons-and inflammatory substances such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (PCR), which are usually altered under conditions such as depression and schizophrenia.
These tests are not yet part of clinical practice, but in the future they can help guide treatment. For example, in the face of an inflammatory process, the doctor may consider a medicine that also acts on inflammation. In addition, these biomarkers help to understand how the body reacts to treatment, allowing faster and more careful adjustments. In some cases, they may even signal the need for change even before clinical symptoms.
When genes help decide
Genetic tests are part of pharmacogenetics. They analyze variations in genes that influence how the body processes certain medications. Thus, it is possible to predict if the person tends to metabolize a medicine very quickly, slowly or in expected.
These tests help to avoid choices at greater risk of adverse effects or low effectiveness. Genes like CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 directly influence the decisions on dose and choice of medicine, bringing more safety and precision to treatment.
The future is to take care of each one as the only
Precision psychiatry is still under development, but it already represents an advance in the form of diagnosing and treating mental disorders. It does not replace the clinical diagnosis – the basis of medical practice – nor the attentive and human gaze of the professional, nor his clinical experience. But it allies with science to make care safer, individualized and sensitive to the uniqueness of each person.
*Text written by psychiatrist Daniela Londe (CRM 15813 / RQE 12962), PhD at the Federal University of Goiás (UFG), Professor at the Unifimes Medical Course and member of the Brazilian Association of Psychiatry (ABP)
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This content was originally published in Precision Psychiatry: Know the future of mental health treatment on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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