Summary: A novel approach combines an online psychiatric assessment with a blood test to diagnose bipolar disorder, a condition often misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder.
This blood test, alongside the digital assessment, can accurately diagnose up to 30% of bipolar disorder cases. It provides not just a faster diagnostic tool but also an objective insight into the biological basis of this mental illness.
Key Facts:
The blood test, coupled with an online assessment, can diagnose 30% of bipolar disorder cases, differentiating it from major depressive disorder. The research incorporated more than 600 questions in its online mental health assessment and examined over 600 different metabolites in dried blood samples. Nearly 40% of bipolar disorder cases are misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder, affecting up to 80 million people worldwide.Source: University of Cambridge
Researchers have developed a new way of improving diagnosis of bipolar disorder that uses a simple blood test to identify biomarkers associated with the condition.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used a combination of an online psychiatric assessment and a blood test to diagnose patients with bipolar disorder, many of whom had been misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder.
More than 3000 participants were recruited, and they each completed an online mental health assessment of more than 600 questions. Credit: Neuroscience News
The researchers say the blood test on its own could diagnose up to 30% of patients with bipolar disorder, but that it is even more effective when combined with a digital mental health assessment.
https://neurosciencenews.com/bipolar-disorder-blood-test-24985/
