Researchers have developed a simple blood test that in combination with an online psychiatric assessment provides an improved diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
The team at the University of Cambridge in the UK found that the blood test on its own would diagnose up to 30 per cent of patients with bipolar disorder, but it was effective when combined with a digital mental health assessment. Incorporating biomarker testing could help physicians differentiate between major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, which have overlapping symptoms but require different pharmacological treatments.
Although the blood test was still a proof of concept, the study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry found that it could be an effective complement to existing psychiatric diagnosis and can help researchers understand the biological origins of mental health conditions.
Bipolar disorder affects approximately one per cent of the population – as many as 80 million people worldwide – but for nearly 40 per cent of patients, it is misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder. “People with bipolar disorder will experience periods of low mood and periods of very high mood or mania,” said study first author Jakub Tomasik, from Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.
“But patients will often only see a doctor when they are experiencing low mood, which is why bipolar disorder frequently gets misdiagnosed as major depressive disorder,” Tomasik said.
The most effective way to get an accurate diagnosis of bipolar disorder was a full psychiatric assessment. However, patients often face long waits to get these assessments, and they take time to carry out. “Psychiatric assessments are highly effective, but the ability to diagnose bipolar disorder with a simple blood test could ensure that patients get the right treatment the first time and alleviate some of the pressures on medical professionals,” said Tomasik.
The researchers used samples and data from the Delta study, conducted in the UK between 2018 and 2020, to identify bipolar disorder in patients who had received a diagnosis of major depressive disorder within the previous five years and had current depressive symptoms. Source: PTI