The Precision Psychiatry Roadmap (PPR) is designed as a dynamic process that continuously incorporates new scientific insights into the biological basis of mental disorders into current syndromes defined by clinical symptoms. This represents an important shift — from traditional symptom-based classification of diseases to precisely targeted, or precision, psychiatry.
The main goal of the PPR is to connect clinical practice with scientific research, particularly neuroscience, genetics, and behavioral sciences. Existing psychiatric classification systems (such as DSM and ICD) are based on symptoms and do not reflect the biological foundations of mental disorders, even though experts know that these disorders arise from brain biology and its interaction with the environment.
According to representatives of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), which coordinates the global effort to establish a new framework for psychiatric treatment, the aim is to gradually link disease manifestations with biological findings. The goal is to create a system that enables more effective development and use of treatments.
The proposed roadmap has three main components. The first task is to achieve global alignment of principles and procedures, including the identification and validation of quantitatively relevant biological parameters. The second component is consensus on the predictive value of new data. This would involve conducting clinical studies in stratified patient populations and obtaining regulatory approval for biomarkers, outcome measures, and treatments. The third component is so-called operationalization — that is, the integration of the latest biological data into diagnostic classifications and treatment guidelines for use in clinical practice.
Medical diagnosis of most human diseases relies on measurable, objective data such as blood tests or imaging scans. In contrast, the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders is largely based on symptoms and patients’ subjective self-reports. Overlapping symptoms across different mental disorders and difficulties in self-assessment can delay or distort diagnosis, complicating treatment decisions for clinicians.
The project’s authors therefore argue that biological, behavioral, and digital data must be integrated, and that symptoms should be approached as continuous (on a spectrum) rather than purely categorical variables. Introducing the concept of precision medicine into psychiatry could improve patient diagnosis and therapy, particularly through the use of genetic or molecular testing.
The PPR was developed by an international group of clinicians, scientists, and representatives of medical organizations, regulatory agencies, and industry. A biologically based diagnostic classification system that changes clinical practice — that is, precision medicine — could be introduced into psychiatry in approximately 15 years.
The project, recently published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, was discussed by Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience and ECNP President Martien J. H. Kas. According to him, experts have long been calling for more effective treatments for mental disorders. He believes the time has now come for these calls to be answered, as technologies are advancing and imaging methods continue to improve.
One of the main objectives of the PPR, according to Prof. Kas, is to integrate symptoms, biological data, and behavioral information into the definition of mental disorders in order to advance the development of effective therapeutic approaches. This means incorporating diagnostic data from blood tests, magnetic resonance imaging, or even feedback from smartphones.
Diagnosing psychiatric disorders without objective measures is difficult, even with strong clinical expertise, added Professor Leanne Williams, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, in an interview with Medscape Medical News. The inclusion of biomarkers in the diagnosis of mental disorders has significant potential, as these conditions are linked to brain function, behavior, and other systems in the body.
Editorial Team, Medscope.pro
Sources:
1. Kas M. J. H., Penninx B. W. J. H., Knudsen G. M. et al. Precision psychiatry roadmap: towards a biology-informed framework for mental disorders. Mol Psychiatry. 2025 Aug; 30 (8): 3846–3855, doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03070-5.
2. A Global Roadmap for Precision Psychiatry. Medscape Medical News, August 29, 2025. Available at: www.medscape.com/viewarticle/global-roadmap-precision-psychiatry-2025a1000mvt
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