Running Head: WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE FOR MENTAL HEALTH 2
What the Future Looks Like for Mental Health
A third of patients suffering from mental illness currently benefit from the medication they receive (Solis, 2016). When a patient seeks medical help, the doctor studies the patient’s symptoms and prescribes medication, then waits for several weeks to find out id the drugs worked or not. Besides, one person’s cause of mental health may be due to several reasons than that presented by another patient, and therefore, one treatment may not work for them both. However, researchers are striving to pinpoint biological markers that predict how a person responds to specific medication so that treatment can be tailored from the beginning of the procedure. Moreover, biomedical studies have led to the creation of super drugs known as “personalized medicine (long, 2016).” It is hoped that these drugs while revolutionizing the provision of healthcare to mental health disorders in the future.
Currently, two large studies have been dedicated to establishing the biomarkers for antidepressant response. The first research involves Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response in Clinical Care (EMBARC). This research investigates the genes, blood proteins, brain activities, and cognitive abilities of 300 study subjects who are prescribed with a depressant known as sertraline or placebo (Solis, 2016). From the results, the researchers will establish how individual biomarkers affect the subject’s response to the drug or placebo.
The second study is known as the international Study to Optimize Treatment for Depression (iSPOT-D) follows a related methodology, by looking for biomarkers in people suffering from depression to envisage how will respond to one of three antidepressants: sertraline, escitalopram or venlafaxine (Solis, 2016). About genetic markers, several genetic tests are readily available in the market. For instance, a company by the name “Geno mind” sells a kit that scans DNA obtained from a cheek swab. The test reveals 18 different gene variants that can guide in deciding the best medication for a given mental disorder.
Another study involves looking into the state of the brain using Magnetic Resonance Imaging to measure brain activities. It is expected that this study will help establish the unique brain activity in depressed people and that these findings will help create individualized drugs for depressed people to target that brain activity or inactivity (Solis, 2016). Another approach is known as the Research on Anxiety and Depression (RAD) involves the study of the brains of the people who are experiencing anxiety, depression, and distress before they receive medication. Then, when they start receiving medication, their profiles will be studied to establish how they respond to drugs. From such studies, it will be deduced which is the best-individualized treatment for people who exhibit specific characteristics.
References
Solis, m. (2016). Personalized Treatment for Depression on The Horizon: Predicting Response to Antidepressants. The Pharmaceutical Journal. Vol. 297, No.7894 online | DOI: 10.1211/PJ.2016.20201782
Long, N. (2018). Looking into The Future: The Potential Impact of Emerging Trends on Child and Family Mental Health Services. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Vol.23, No.1, pp 3-8.