'The promise of precise, personalized mental health care'

by Heather Stringer

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Coordinated, individualized tools such as brain imaging, genetic profiling, health history, and more can help determine the best treatment approach

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Nearly one third of adults with major depressive disorder fail to respond to at least two different antidepressant medications, and half of those treated for generalized anxiety disorder do not respond to first-line treatments. Numerous other mental health conditions also require that patients endure a lengthy period of treatment experimentation (Zhdanava, M., et al., The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol. 82, No. 2, 2021; Ansara, E. D., Mental Health Clinician, Vol. 10, No. 6, 2020).

“This is like getting the wrong antibiotic,” said Leanne Williams, PhD, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and director of Stanford Medicine’s Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness. “In that time, the disability is developing. It is essential to find a way to get patients to the right treatment as quickly as possible to limit the chances of chronic illness.”