Precision psychiatry aims to personalize mental health treatment

Professor Martino Belvederi Murri, a psychiatrist at the University of Ferrara and President of the Italian Association of Computational Psychiatry, is advocating for the adoption of precision psychiatry to replace the traditional "one-size-fits-all" medical approach.

Precision psychiatry aims to tailor treatments to the unique biological, psychological, and environmental characteristics of individual patients, rather than treating all individuals with the same diagnosis identically. This approach is particularly relevant for managing resistant depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosis. By analyzing a patient's clinical history, previous drug responses, physical condition, and social context, specialists can better identify risks and avoid ineffective therapeutic attempts.

In addition to clinical data, lifestyle factors such as sleep, nutrition, physical activity, and social relationships are treated as critical clinical data points. While technology can assist in monitoring these elements, the approach emphasizes that technology should support, rather than replace, the human relationship between doctor and patient.