Progress
Twenty years is a long time–times of sorrow, uncertainty, longing for what might have been. But also times of joy and most importantly HOPE. For nearly 20 years the Tommy Fuss Team and the Fuss Family have been raising awareness and removing the stigmas associated with mental illness and suicide. The foundation established in Tommy’s memory has focused on the science–a precision medicine approach to mental health, emphasizing early identification through genetic and biological markers in hopes of early diagnoses and novel treatments.
Over the past 20 years there have been significant advances in the science of treating mental illness.
20 years ago, diagnosing and treating Tommy was more of an art than a science. Trial and error if you will. We were attempting to manage symptoms. We lacked tools to provide a clear picture. This is what we were looking at.
Somewhere along the way, perhaps 10 years advances in technology, including accessibility to fMRIs and a greater understanding of the human genome began significantly advancing our knowledge. A clearer picture was emerging.
And here we are today. Accelerating advances in technology and AI continue to broaden our understanding of the brain and are bringing us closer to development of precision psychiatry.
But we cannot, we must not stop here. We need personalized, targeted therapies translating into clinical applications. The goal is to accurately diagnose, treat these diseases and hopefully find cures. We pray this is within our reach, perhaps not in my lifetime, but in that of my grandchildren.
With sincere appreciation for the love and support we have received from family and friends and to the incredible work being done by our partners at Boston Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, Franciscan Children’s Hospital and Harvard University,
RoseMary