According to the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, nearly a quarter of young adults suffer from depression by the time they are 24 years old, which can lead to illness, substance abuse or even suicide.
But a new blood test could make diagnosing depression accurately among teens much easier, according to a study recently published in Translational Psychiatry.
Researchers identified 26 potential biological depression markers and then tested 28 teens, both black and white, from Chicago, half of whom are diagnosed with depression.
The depressed teens had either higher or lower levels of 11 of the biomarkers, and 18 of the biomarkers could also accurately predict whether depressed teens also suffered from an anxiety disorder.
The biomarkers now must be tested in a larger group of teens to ensure the initial findings are accurate, said study author Eva Redei, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Though the biomarkers currently being studied can only potentially diagnose depression in teens, Redei’s group is also testing biomarkers for adults.
The biomarkers were identified by studying rats that showed symptoms that mimic those of depression in humans. The symptoms in both humans and rats are the results of conditions that are caused by either genetics or environmental factors.
If the biomarkers prove to accurately diagnose depression, the blood test will be able to provide an objective diagnosis, which could help teens deal with the stigma that often accompanies diagnosis and could create new, more proactive treatments before symptoms even appear.
Currently, depression is subjectively diagnosed after a doctor or psychologist asks the patient a series of questions about their mood over the past month.
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