PsyMetRiC 2.0: The First Certified Tool for Predicting Metabolic Risk in Young Psychosis Patients
- PsyMetRiC 2.0 is a free, web-based calculator (psymetric.app) that predicts weight gain at 1 year, metabolic syndrome at 6 years, and type 2 diabetes at 10 years in young people with psychosis
- Models developed and externally validated on data from over 25,000 young people with psychosis in the UK, followed for 20+ years
- First psychiatric prediction tool certified by the UK MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) for real-world clinical use
- Uses routinely collected clinical data — no specialised biomarkers or additional testing required
Antipsychotic-induced metabolic side effects remain the quiet crisis of psychosis treatment. They drive non-adherence, they contribute to a 15–20 year life expectancy gap, and until now clinicians had no validated tool to quantify the risk for an individual patient. PsyMetRiC 2.0 changes that — and it is free, web-based, and MHRA-certified.
What PsyMetRiC does
The calculator takes routinely collected clinical variables — age, sex, BMI, antipsychotic type and dose, smoking status, blood pressure, lipid panel, glucose — and generates three predictions: clinically significant weight gain within 1 year, metabolic syndrome within 6 years, and type 2 diabetes within 10 years. Each prediction comes with a risk percentile and visual output designed for shared decision-making with the patient.
The models behind PsyMetRiC 2.0 were built on data from over 25,000 young people with psychosis spectrum disorders across UK clinical services, with follow-up exceeding 20 years. External validation confirmed discrimination and calibration across multiple independent cohorts. This is not a research prototype — the MHRA certification means it meets regulatory standards for use in clinical care.
How this changes the conversation
The metabolic conversation in psychosis treatment is typically reactive: prescribe olanzapine, monitor weight, switch when things go wrong. PsyMetRiC enables a proactive model. Before starting or switching an antipsychotic, you can quantify the metabolic trajectory for this specific patient.
This matters for three clinical decisions. First, antipsychotic selection: if a patient's baseline profile predicts high metabolic risk on olanzapine, you have a quantified reason to discuss alternatives early — not after 10kg of weight gain. Second, monitoring intensity: high-risk patients warrant more frequent metabolic panels and earlier lifestyle intervention referrals. Third, shared decision-making: showing a patient their personalised risk curve is more compelling than general warnings about "possible weight gain."
The tool is at psymetric.app — takes under two minutes per patient.
The first MHRA-certified psychiatric risk calculator lets clinicians predict metabolic complications before prescribing — shifting psychosis care from reactive monitoring to personalised prevention.
Models derived from UK clinical populations; performance in non-European populations not yet validated. The calculator predicts risk, not certainty — clinical judgement remains essential. Does not account for polypharmacy interactions beyond antipsychotics.