[Pharmacogenetics in psychiatry: state of the art].

In this article, the current literature on pharmacogenetics of antidepressants, antipsychotics and lithium are summarized by the section of Neurobiology and Genetics of the German Society of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology (DGPPN). The publications of international expert groups and regulatory authorities are reviewed and discussed. In Germany, a statement on pharmacogenetics was also made by the gene diagnostics committee of the Ministry of Health. The DGPPN supports two recommendations: 1) to perform CYP2D6 genetic testing prior to prescription of tricyclic antidepressants and 2) to determine the HLA-B*1502 genotype in patients of Asian origin before using carbamazepine. The main obstacle for a broad application of pharmacogenetic tests in psychiatry remains the lack of large prospective studies, for both single gene-drug pair and cobinatorial pharmacogenetic tests, to evaluate the benefits of genetic testing. Psychiatrists, geneticists and funding agencies are encouraged to increase their efforts for the future benefit of psychiatric patients.