Drug discovery and mental illness

Mental disorders are among the most disabling of all diseases. Effective well-documented medications have been available for many decades. Yet, limited understanding of the pathophysiology of mental disorders has impeded the development of novel treatments. Drug discovery must move toward a net* mechanism-based paradigm using the tools of contemporary genetic and molecular medicine. At the same time, this new paradigm must be matched by an equivalent effort to modernize established approaches to clinical trials methodology.