First ever blood test for depression developed

A new breakthrough in the diagnosis of depression has been made with the development of the first blood test for use in detecting the condition.

Created by a team from Northwestern Medicine in the US, the test is able to identify depression by measuring the levels of nine RNA blood markers, while also predicting who is most likely to benefit from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).

The researchers were able to achieve this by examining a group of patients with and without depression, finding that levels of these nine RNA blood markers were significantly different in depressed patients compared to a control group.

After 18 weeks of therapy, the changed levels of certain markers were able to differentiate patients who had responded positively and were no longer depressed. This marked the first measurable, blood-based evidence of the success of CBT.

Eva Redei, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said: "This test brings mental health diagnosis into the 21st century and offers the first personalised medicine approach to people suffering from depression."

Given that depression affects about one in ten people at some point, this could be a potentially significant medical breakthrough.