Landscapes of tomorrow: Precision psychiatry and beyond

Abstract

The authors have known psychiatry for more than 50 years. In this period, it has made impressive progress in knowledge and undergone many changes in the delivery of services, some of great attraction and others less welcome. Katschnig (2010) set out where he sees changes having taken place, pointing out that some have come from within psychiatry, others from outside. His paper has been useful in indicating what may lie ahead for all professionals dealing with mental disorders, not only psychiatrists.

One must ask if psychiatry itself has any control over its future, or if forces external to it are the sole determinants. Through vehicles such as the ANZJP, we see no reason why psychiatrists should not have more influence over further developments, not least by acting on what comes from outside. Psychiatry itself must also advance as part of medicine. With this in mind, we want to identify some of the key issues and look at what lies ahead for practitioners. We focus on three major fields: the human population, health services and technology. There are others, but these three are a sufficient base on which to build.