Researchers at Indiana University have developed a blood test to identify depression and bipolar disorders. It is thought to have a big impact on diagnosis of mental health disorders. This test is part of multiple new discoveries for understanding the biological aspects of depression.
How it works: These tests use RNA biomarkers to identify the presence and severity of depression. They can also tell how at risk an individual might be for future depression and manic episodes. The test can even match patients with the appropriate medication for optimal depression medication treatment.
One key issue with this advancement is that RNA molecules often degrade quickly, making testing more difficult and time sensitive. The private sector tech industry has begun to develop ways to address this problem. Circular Genomics has discovered some creative means to tackle the issue of quickly-degrading RNA molecules. This should help make this test more effective and its use more flexible. Not to mention more profitable for those attempting to make it more efficient.
Pros: Most objective test ever… This test could potentially remove clinician bias and provide a much more objective measure of depression. It should also cut down or even eliminate the long process of “finding the right combinations of meds” for many patients. That process is often simple trial-and-error because individuals often respond differently to certain medications.
Limits: This blood test does not provide context for an individual’s difficulties. It cannot help to understand how the client’s methods of coping and emotion regulation contribute to the difficulties that led them to seek treatment.
Like most objective measures of functioning and mental health difficulties released already, no one expects a blood test for depression to be used as a sole indicator of someone’s difficulties or how to choose a treatment. This will likely add to our therapist resources to help greatly improve our ability to be more accurate in our assessment and treatment efforts.
