Precision psychiatry push starts in Europe
As geopolitical tensions ratchet up around the world, the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) has launched an initiative to drive improvements in diagnostic accuracy and precision care.
The plan marks the first time in the EPA's 43-year history that the association has launched such a wide-ranging programme, spanning clinical, research, and educational activities across its 80,000-strong psychiatrist network. It includes projects focusing on brain health, treatment delivery, physical-mental health comorbidities, stigma reduction, and preventive measures.
In a statement, the EPA said that it wants to protect vulnerable populations affected by conflict on the borders of Europe, economic pressures, forced migration, as well as other factors such as rollbacks in LGBTQIA+ rights in parts of Central and Western Europe.
The plan – called Leaving no one behind – a roadmap for better and personalised mental health care (PDF) – notes that levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness have risen by about 25% since 2021, mirrored by rising rates of mortality due to mental and behavioural disorders and suicide.
Six task forces have been set up to spearhead the plan, focusing on: treatment delivery and new settings of care; precision psychiatry; brain and mental health across the lifespan;lLifestyle behaviours, physical and mental health, and multimorbidity; public mental health; and mental health protection of vulnerable groups.
The EPA's president, Prof Andrea Fiorillo, said: "For more than a century, psychiatric diagnoses have been made solely on the basis of signs and symptoms over time," adding that the precision psychiatry approach "represents a new paradigm for mental health, reflecting approaches already established in disciplines such as oncology and immunology."
By encouraging comprehensive assessments of factors like neurocognition, physical comorbidities, major life events, and illness staging, psychiatrists will work towards more accurate diagnoses, as well as greater use of tailored treatments for patients across Europe.
"The action plan sets out practical steps that can be implemented now to move psychiatry closer to these precision-based standards," according to Prof Fiorillo, who cautioned, however, that an ongoing shortage of psychiatrists in Europe is an obstacle to the scheme's objectives.
"Achieving this future also depends on building a sustainable workforce," he added. "Supporting medical students, residents, and early-career psychiatrists through training and mentoring is critical to the EPA's long-term agenda."
The plan notes that there are currently only 9.9 psychiatrists per 100,000 people in Europe, despite 17% of the population currently living with a mental health condition.
The EPA is calling on policymakers to strengthen investment in the mental health workforce and infrastructure, and also to expand care into community settings and promote responsible digital innovation and public awareness on mental health risk factors.
Photo by Marcel Strauß on Unsplash
