Mental Health Biobanks—A Systematic Review on the Prevalence, Creation, and Implementation of Mental Health Biobanks Globally

Abstract

Biobanks are collections of human biological materials (biospecimens) alongside personal health information that are stored for scientific research. There is a wide range of evidence to show that biomarkers can be linked to psychiatric illnesses. Identification of such biomarkers facilitates clinical diagnosis, early intervention, and compressive treatment. The aim of this systematic review was to analyze the methodology of global biobanks focusing on mental illnesses. Six databases were systematically searched. A total of 1363 abstracts were screened, and 21 full texts were assessed for eligibility. The quality of the literature was appraised. Of the six papers included, there were few mental health-specific biobanks globally, with the majority being in European and American countries. Most research was conducted examining depression with scant research on self-harm, personality disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Blood was the most common biological sample collected, and less common samples were hair and saliva. Mental health-specific biobanks support the understanding of biological etiologies of psychiatric diseases. There are gaps in research on certain mental illnesses such as personality disorders and PTSD. More research is required in lower–middle income countries. Despite scientific progress to identify biochemical markers of mental disorders, further research is needed to aid diagnosis and management within this discipline.

Keywords

• biobank
• biological markers
• psychiatry
• mental illness
• biological specimens