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Precision Medicine and Suicide: an Opportunity for Digital Health

  • Precision Medicine in Psychiatry (S Kennedy, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

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.

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Funding

This work was partially funded through ANR (the French National Research Agency) under the “Investissements d’avenir” programme with the reference ANR-16-IDEX-0006, Carlos III (ISCIII PI16/01852), American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (LSRG-1-005-16), Structural Funds of the European Union, MINECO/FEDER (“ADVENTURE”, id. TEC2015-69868-C2-1-R), and MCIU Explora Grant “AMBITION” (id. TEC2017-92552-EXP).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Fundación Jiménez Díaz Hospital, Madrid, Spain

    Maria Luisa Barrigon & Enrique Baca-García

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Autónoma University, Madrid, Spain

    Maria Luisa Barrigon & Enrique Baca-García

  3. Department of Emergency Psychiatry & Acute Care, Academic hospital of Montpellier, INSERM U1061, Montpellier University, Montpellier, France

    Philippe Courtet

  4. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Maria Oquendo

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, Móstoles, Spain

    Enrique Baca-García

  6. Department of Psychiatry, General Hospital of Villalba, Madrid, Spain

    Enrique Baca-García

  7. Department of Psychiatry, Infanta Elena University Hospital, Valdemoro, Spain

    Enrique Baca-García

  8. Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile

    Enrique Baca-García

Authors
  1. Maria Luisa Barrigon
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  2. Philippe Courtet
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  3. Maria Oquendo
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  4. Enrique Baca-García
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria Luisa Barrigon.

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Conflict of Interest

Maria Luisa Barrigon reports grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and from Structural Funds of the European Union, MINECO/FEDER.

Philippe Courtet reports grants from American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, grants and personal fees from Fondamental Foundation, and personal fees from Janssen.

Maria Oquendo receives royalties for the commercial use of the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and Dr. Oquendo’s family owns stock in Bristol Myers Squibb.

Enrique Baca-García reports grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and from Structural Funds of the European Union, MINECO/FEDER.

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Barrigon, M.L., Courtet, P., Oquendo, M. et al. Precision Medicine and Suicide: an Opportunity for Digital Health. Curr Psychiatry Rep 21, 131 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-019-1119-8

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