Abstract: The invention provides genetic means, including compositions (e.g., kits) and methods, to predict the efficacy of a treatment in depression and anxiety and to predict a patient's response to a particular a specific medication or treatment. The invention provides methods for diagnosing the presence of a psychiatric disorder or determining the outcome of a treatment for a psychiatric disorder. The invention provides methods for methods for diagnosing the presence of a psychiatric disorder in an individual by determining what corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) protein or transcript isoforms are expressed in an individual. The invention provides methods for diagnosing the presence of a psychiatric disorder in an individual by determining what protein or transcript isoforms are expressed in an individual wherein the protein is involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis pathway.