Study: Blood test may ID depression

A blood test could one day help diagnose teens with depression.

Researchers identified 26 potential biological markers for depression. They tested a small group of teens and found a handful of the markers could distinguish teens with major depression from those without depression.

The research was published Tuesday in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

"I think it would be more accurate to diagnose depression with a blood test," said study author Eva Redei, a Northwestern University professor of psychiatry. Testing has to be extended now to a larger group, she said.

The current diagnosing of depression is subjective, involving doctors asking patients about their moods, an especially tricky evaluation in teenage years, a trying time emotionally to start with, Redei said. Having a diagnosis that relies on biomarkers could also make it easier for teens to hear and ease some of the stigma associated with depression.

"It would be much more difficult," Redei said, "for somebody to say, 'Just snap out of it' or 'Get yourself together.' " -- HealthDay