Disruptive innovation in psychiatry

Disruptive innovation, a concept from business, can be applied to psychiatry to describe approaches that challenge the status quo. The current mental health crisis and a lack of highly effective pharmacological treatments necessitate such innovative thinking. Promising therapeutic options include digital interventions, psychedelic medicines, microbiome-altering treatments, brain stimulation technology, and nanotechnology-based delivery systems. These could be further advanced through individualization using computational technology and genomics.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Disruptive innovation is a cornerstone of various disciplines, particularly in the business world, where paradigm-altering approaches are often lauded. As a construct, disruptive psychiatry can be considered to embody such an approach by the pursuit of innovations within the field which test boundaries and shake up the status quo. Given the importance of addressing the current mental health pandemic, and the deficit of highly effective pharmacological treatments for various conditions, innovative disruptive thinking is required. Significant promise exists via the provision of potentially more effective innovative therapeutic options, including digital interventions, psychedelic medicines, microbiome-altering treatments, brain stimulation technology, and nanotechnology-based delivery systems. These approaches may be further advanced by individualization of the treatments using computational technology (including quantum computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence) and genomics.