Blue Collar Scientist

BBC is reporting that researchers have discovered that certain biomarkers present in the blood are indicative of mood disorders, and that their concentration correlated with the severity of the disorder. The researchers hope the discovery will lead to a blood test that could be used diagnostically, and to objectively assess the impact of medication.

Lead researcher Dr Alexander Niculescu said: “This discovery is a major step towards bringing psychiatry on par with other medical specialties that have diagnostic tools to measure disease states and the effectiveness of treatments.”

Indeed. Psychiatry is vulnerable to a number of criticisms, some less valid than others, due to the relative lack of ways to quantitatively support a diagnosis. Even within the skeptical community, there is a diversity of opinion on the reality of various psychiatric diagnoses and the effectiveness of treatments. But with denialism of psychiatric medicine widespread in groups such as the Scientologists, one wonders whether this could become a new piece of evidence in the debate.

“Although psychiatrists have been aware that bipolar illness and other psychiatric conditions produced molecular changes in the brain, there was no way to measure those changes while the patient was living.“

That’s certainly a drawback.