Blood Test To Diagnose Depression

The possibility that there is a test to diagnose depression would imply an improvement in one’s conception of this mental illness.

“I don’t know what’s happening to me, I don’t want anything. The only thing I want is to be alone. Why is this happening to me? Sometimes I feel like I’m going to lift my head, but other times… even showering is an effort ”.

These statements are very typical for people who suffer from depression, as well as the following sentence: “No one understands me”.

They feel that they cannot prove what is happening to them and they feel a deep sense of loneliness which increases every time someone says the famous: “How can you be better if you do not put your efforts into it? ? ”.

Perhaps this last sentence is one of the most painful. People who suffer from illnesses and mental disorders feel misunderstood.

In the case of depression, the most common misconception is that those who suffer from it are fragile or loose.

But this is not true. The level of pain they suffer from is only bearable if you are very, very strong.

It would take a great will to live to move forward, even if you feel disconnected from the world. There would be no greater proof of willpower.

This interpretation is accepted because pain that cannot be translated into numbers, with precise measurements or hard evidence, tends to be underestimated.

This is why the possibility of diagnosing depression via a blood test would greatly relieve these people.

They will finally be able to prove that their illness is real, that it is not a bad patch, nor a lack of motivation.

Blood test to diagnose depression?

Scientists at the University of Vienna knew that this disorder was linked to serotonin. It is the substance that is responsible for producing positive emotions and ideas.

Thus, people affected by depression have low levels of this component. Scientists have started to work with this data.

Lukas Pezawas, director of the study, says they discovered in the blood the process by which serotonin is produced.

The SERT protein, located in the membrane of brain cells, allows the transport of the famous substance.

The researchers found that the protein was also present in other organs. Among them, the intestine or the blood.

Moreover, it works the same as in the brain. Thanks to this, we were able to trace a real “network of depression” much larger than what we thought.

So, the amount of serotonin in platelets is indicative of what is going on in the brain.

To be sure, the results of the analysis are compared to tests of the image, by magnetic resonance for example.

The revolution is getting closer and closer

The depression network is what is called “automatic mode network”. He received this name because when he deals with complex ideas, he disappears.

However, when the brain is at rest, it activates.

During a depressive process, it stops functioning properly, and automatic and negative thoughts appear. According to the study, a blood test will soon be enough to diagnose depression.

This will provide a framework for the disease. We can no longer doubt it, and those affected will no longer have to endure value judgments about their illness, nor accusations about their bad character, their fragility or their lack of resistance.

Many patients complain that those around them think they got there out of willpower and lack of effort.

Thus, depressed people will be able to demonstrate the veracity of their illness through a physical examination.

However, we would like to stress the importance of family support in cases of mental disorder.

When someone suffers from depression, their self-esteem drops. So if his family or friends show misunderstanding about his illness, the problem gets worse.

You could compare it to twisting an arm that is already broken. The pain and injury will increase. No one deserves to go through this.