The new saliva test could predict the chance of them developing major clinical depression later in life, scientists say
A simple saliva test for teenage boys could predict the chance of them developing major clinical depression later in life, scientists have claimed.
Cambridge University researchers discovered that boys with raised levels of the stress hormone cortisol and depressive symptoms are 14 times more likely to be affected than those with neither trait.
The findings are first evidence of a biological marker which can predict crippling major depression.
Serious clinical depression is distinct from having occasional depressive symptoms or ‘feeling blue’ and is regarded as a genuine illness.
The condition, which affects one in six people at some point in their lives, is defined as including symptoms such as fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest, and sleep disturbances.
Doctors think major depression will be the biggest burden on health services worldwide by 2030.
The research team hope the new test could help people to get earlier treatment and stem the rising number of suicides among young men.
Study leader Professor Ian Goodyer said: ‘Depression is a terrible illness that will affect as many as 10 million people in the UK at some point in their lives.
‘Through our research, we now have a very real way of identifying those teenage boys most likely to develop clinical depression.
‘This will help us strategically target preventions and interventions at these individuals and hopefully help reduce their risk of serious episodes of depression and their consequences in adult life.’
The team measured cortisol levels in the saliva of almost 2,000 young people aged 12 to 19 and asked them about their experiences of depression.
They were then reassessed between 12 months and three years later.
The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, showed boys with raised levels of cortisol in the morning and depressive symptoms were 14 times more likely to develop serious depressive illness than those with normal cortisol and few symptoms.
The trend was much weaker for girls, suggesting gender differences in the way depression develops.
Serious clinical depression affects one in six people at some point in their lives
Researcher Dr Matthew Owens said: ‘This new biomarker suggests that we may be able to offer a more personalised approach to tackling boys at risk for depression.
‘This could be a much needed way of reducing the number of people suffering from depression, and in particular stemming a risk at a time when there has been an increasing rate of suicide amongst teenage boys and young men.’
Dr John Williams, head of neuroscience and mental health at the Wellcome Trust, which funded the study, said: ‘Progress in identifying biological markers for depression has been frustratingly slow, but now we finally have a biomarker for clinical depression.
‘The approach taken by Professor Goodyer’s team may yet yield further biomarkers. It also gives tantalising clues about the gender differences in the causes and onset of depression.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2561347/Saliva-samples-predict-boys-risk-depression-mental-illness-later-life.html#ixzz2thGFn8jF
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