In this episode, Dr. Steve Rondeau unpacks why psychiatry has fallen behind other areas of medicine in adopting biomarkers and objective testing. Unlike cardiology or oncology, which use biological markers to improve diagnosis and treatment, psychiatry has remained reliant on subjective assessments and symptom-based categories. Dr. Rondeau explores the historical reasons behind this gap, the scientific and ethical challenges that continue to slow progress, and the promising future of biomarker research in mental health. Listeners will gain insights into how emerging tools like genomics, neuroimaging, and artificial intelligence could reshape psychiatric care for more accurate diagnoses and personalized treatment.

Key Takeaways:

• Psychiatry has historically relied on subjective assessments, limiting progress in biomarker use.
• The complexity and variability of mental disorders make it difficult to identify universal biomarkers.
• Ethical concerns—such as stigma, privacy, and labeling—remain major hurdles.
• Advances in genomics, neuroimaging, and AI point toward a future of precision psychiatry.
• Integrating biomarkers could lead to earlier interventions, more effective treatments, and better patient outcomes.