Tuesday, February 21, 2012

A Blood Test For Depressions

Blood Test Could Someday Diagnose Depression. U.S. Navy

Study Of The Day: Blood Tests Can Accurately Diagnose Depression -- The Atlantic

PROBLEM: Depression has traditionally been diagnosed with a questionnaire that assesses patients' reported symptoms. This process varies greatly, however, since it relies heavily on the clinician's experience and resources.

METHODOLOGY: To test if an objective biological test could improve diagnosis accuracy, scientists recruited 36 adults with major depression and 43 healthy participants for a blood screening. They measured the levels of nine biomarkers associated with depressive symptoms, such as inflammation, the development and maintenance of neurons, and the interaction between brain structures involved with stress response and other key functions.

Read more ....

Update:
Depression Can Be Diagnosed With a Blood Test -- Popular Science

My Comment: The value of such a test in diagnosing our vets who suffer from depression are obvious.

1 comment:

Testimonials for Sydney Clinical Psychologist Centre said...

Great sharing! Thanks! Also, major depression treatment often involves anxiety treatment as well, facing these fears will allow you to become an effective.