Could a Blood Test Spot Adult Depression?

Could a blood test spot adult depression? New findings published in the journal Translational Psychiatry show that the first objective scientific track to diagnose major adult mental disturbances is currently underway.

As depression is estimated to affect about 14.8 million American adults, or about 7 percent of the U.S. population 18 and up in a given year, delayed diagnosis of symptoms can result in serious consequences.

"What we didn't bargain for, but what we got, was that by looking at [patients' blood] before they received cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), we could identify patterns that tell us who will respond to therapy and who will not," said lead study author Eva Redei at Northwestern Medicine, in a news release.

Researchers noted that about 60 percent of the patients involved in the study did not experience another depressive episode throughout the study period's 18 weeks. However, about 40 percent did, and they showed differences in three gene products that were measured in their blood.

The newly devised test works by measuring levels of nine genetic indicators via RNA markers to help determine if patients will respond to cognitive behavioral therapy--a common and effective treatment for many forms of depression.

"The mental health profession has, for decades, been seeking an objective measure for detecting major psychiatric disorders," said Dr. Glen Elliott, chief psychiatrist and medical director of the Children's Health Council in Palo Alto, Calif, in a news release. "That the authors seem to have found a measure in such a small sample that appears to be sensitive to a specific treatment-and a psychological intervention at that-is striking if it holds up."

With future research, the study authors hope to more clearly define a test that could help diagnose the health issue sooner.

"We don't want anybody to suffer, so the goal is to develop a Food and Drug Administration-approved test that is very easy to administer anywhere."