Biomarkers correlates of psychosocial interventions: an update

ABSTRACT: Background: The inclusion of biomarkers in clinical studies is becoming widespread; nevertheless, evidence in psychotherapy research is still relatively sparse. For this reason, in this narrative review, the state of the art of biomarkers correlates of psychotherapy is presented with the aim to identify them and investigate their role as predictors and pre to post outcomes across different psychosocial interventions and mental disorders, with a particular attention to suicidal outcomes. Method: Searches on several databases were performed to identify relevant articles on specific biomarkers. We focused on meta-analyses and systematic reviews in order to appraise the most robust results. Results: Studies have showed that some peripheral inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Interleukin 10 (IL-10) can be considered as valid markers of different psychosocial interventions across various mental disorders; notably, although subjects with major depression were involved in most of included studies, no mention of suicidal outcomes were made in any of the included meta-analysis or systematic review. Discussion: Results highlight the need for more consensus concerning a more precise translation of evidence into practice, and the understanding of long-term mechanism underpinning beneficial psychotherapeutic effects. Looking forward, inclusion of suicidal outcomes is desirable to ameliorate prevention as well as treatment.