Precision Medicine and Suicide: an Opportunity for Digital Health

• Published in: Current psychiatry reports Vol. 21; no. 12; p. 131
• Main Authors: Barrigon, Maria Luisa, Courtet, Philippe, Oquendo, Maria, Baca-García, Enrique
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-12-2019
• Subjects: Ecological Momentary Assessment; Genetics, Medical; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Precision Medicine; Precision Medicine in Psychiatry (S Kennedy; Psychiatry; Section Editor; Smartphone; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide - prevention & control; Suicide - psychology; Topical Collection on Precision Medicine in Psychiatry; Ecological momentary assessment; Big data; Attempted suicide; Precision medicine; Suicide; Mobile health
• ISSN: 1523-3812; 1535-1645
• DOI: 10.1007/s11920-019-1119-8

Purpose of Review
A better understanding of suicide phenomena is needed, and precision medicine is a promising approach toward this aim. In this manuscript, we review recent advances in the field, with particular focus on the role of digital health.
Recent Findings
Technological advances such as smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment and passive collection of information from sensors provide a detailed description of suicidal behavior and thoughts. Further, we review more traditional approaches in the field of genetics.
Summary
We first highlight the need for precision medicine in suicidology. Then, in light of recent and promising research, we examine the role of smartphone-based information collection using explicit (active) and implicit (passive) means to construct a digital phenotype, which should be integrated with genetic and epigenetic data to develop tailored therapeutic and preventive approaches for suicide.