Researchers are hopeful that diagnosing depression may soon be as easy as diagnosing high cholesterol. A new study describes a blood test that that distinguished depression among teenagers.
Developed by a scientist at Northwestern School of Medicine in Chicago, the new blood test aims to replace the current method of diagnosing depression, which is asking patients to recall their symptoms. The researchers say the new test might be able to distinguish between certain types of depression, raising hope for more personalized treatments.
"Right now depression is treated with a blunt instrument," said study author Dr. Eva Redei, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "It's like treating type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes exactly the same way. We need to do better."
Redei's study is published in the April 17 issue of Translational Psychiatry.
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