Blood test diagnoses depression? OMG

[Sparrow]

A New Blood Test for Depression Proves It's Not All in Your Head

 

Very, very scary.

[Barbarannamated]

A New Blood Test for Depression Proves It's Not All in Your Head

 

Very, very scary.

 

I'm curious to know what biological markers they are using. IF they are measuring endocrine, vitamin / mineral levels, that are known to cause symptoms that are often misdiagnosed as "depression", this could be a positive. Back in the 1980s, there was limited use of the CRH challenge test in "depression". My understanding is that the results showed if it was a primary endocrine problem at the root. If we carry out that thought, it could lead to a more targeted therapy that is closer to correcting a real, measureable problem rather than using psych drugs with unknown mechanism of action that DISRUPT neuroendocrine/hormone function.

 

Another example is testing for the MTHFR genetic polymorphism that interferes with Vitamin B / folic acid metabolism which can lead to symptoms of depression, schizophrenia and other conditions.

 

That said, if the biological markers referred to in this article are neurotransmitter levels, i agree.... VERY SCARY.

[Barbarannamated]

This article linked at the bottom of article above DOES scare the ***** outa me, though. OMG.

 

Why It's Time to Link Medical and Psychiatric Records

http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/01/07/secrecy-surrounding-psychiatric-records-may-harm-patients

[Altostrata]

This is more or less a press release. I doubt this is a real product.

[Altostrata]

Neuroskeptic tweeted this to me http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/psychiatrys-true-blood-pt-1.html

[Barbarannamated]

Chatted with an optometrist friend last nite. He is having serious eye problem (vascular) and a psychiatrist suggested he take Lexapro to help depression over losing his vision.

Psychiatrist told him that SSRIs are "self-limiting" and only raise serotonin to "normal levels". Of course, i HAD to ask how the psych would be measuring serotonin level and what "normal levels" or reference range he was using. .

[compsports]

Chatted with an optometrist friend last nite. He is having serious eye problem (vascular) and a psychiatrist suggested he take Lexapro to help depression over losing his vision.

Psychiatrist told him that SSRIs are "self-limiting" and only raise serotonin to "normal levels". Of course, i HAD to ask how the psych would be measuring serotonin level and what "normal levels" or reference range he was using. .

 

Not to sound like broken record but to quote a department chief I worked under several yeas ago, what the h-ll is going on here with a phrase in front that you all can guess.

 

I mean, is there any psychiatrist on this earth who thinks it is normal be depressed over losing your vision or am I living in fantasyland?

 

And to perpetuate a false myth again regarding the chemical imbalance.

 

I would have loved to have been face to face with that psychiatrist. Then again, that might not have been a good idea

 

What did your friend say to this clown?

 

CS

[compsports]

Neuroskeptic tweeted this to me http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/psychiatrys-true-blood-pt-1.html

 

It seems the test could allegedly pick out the depressed people in spite of some concerns.

 

Ok, what about all the people who are depressed due to undiagnosed sleep apnea and get this stupid blood test. The thought of it picking up depression with them never receiving the right diagnosis is very frightening.

 

CS

[Barbarannamated]

I mean, is there any psychiatrist on this earth who thinks it is normal be depressed over losing your vision or am I living in fantasyland?

 

And to perpetuate a false myth again regarding the chemical imbalance.

 

I would have loved to have been face to face with that psychiatrist. Then again, that might not have been a good idea

What did your friend say to this clown?

CS

 

He has seen him only once and was considering going on Lexapro for 1 year along with therapy. Our conversation last night ended with "you've given me alot to think about". He did ask what alternatives there are to SSRIs and i encouraged him to pursue ANY therapy to help through very normal emotions. Followed with an article on the many effects of serotonin/SSRIs on the eye and vasculature. Hopefully, he'll process it and see the obvious and not be influenced by the psychiatrist.

[compsports]

 

I mean, is there any psychiatrist on this earth who thinks it is normal be depressed over losing your vision or am I living in fantasyland?

 

And to perpetuate a false myth again regarding the chemical imbalance.

 

I would have loved to have been face to face with that psychiatrist. Then again, that might not have been a good idea

What did your friend say to this clown?

CS

 

He has seen him only once and was considering going on Lexapro for 1 year along with therapy. Our conversation last night ended with "you've given me alot to think about". He did ask what alternatives there are to SSRIs and i encouraged him to pursue ANY therapy to help through very normal emotions. Followed with an article on the many effects of serotonin/SSRIs on the eye and vasculature. Hopefully, he'll process it and see the obvious and not be influenced by the psychiatrist.

 

Thanks Barb for letting me know. I hope he listens to you.

 

CS

[Georgia]

Chatted with an optometrist friend last nite. He is having serious eye problem (vascular) and a psychiatrist suggested he take Lexapro to help depression over losing his vision.

Psychiatrist told him that SSRIs are "self-limiting" and only raise serotonin to "normal levels". Of course, i HAD to ask how the psych would be measuring serotonin level and what "normal levels" or reference range he was using. .

 

I blame lexapro for some frightening things that happened to my vision. I'm fairly certain it was responsible for an increase in eye pressure, which has improved with time off the drug. I had shimmering peripheral vision, blurry vision, light flashes and increase in floaters. Worse night vision and cataracts forming,too. Also developed sleep apnea, which I understand might have an effect on vision. My vision was not the best anyway, due to myopia. If I had any idea the drug would have a negative impact on my vision, I never would have taken it. Losing my vision is one of my worst fears.

[Barbarannamated]

 

Chatted with an optometrist friend last nite. He is having serious eye problem (vascular) and a psychiatrist suggested he take Lexapro to help depression over losing his vision.

Psychiatrist told him that SSRIs are "self-limiting" and only raise serotonin to "normal levels". Of course, i HAD to ask how the psych would be measuring serotonin level and what "normal levels" or reference range he was using. .

 

I blame lexapro for some frightening things that happened to my vision. I'm fairly certain it was responsible for an increase in eye pressure, which has improved with time off the drug. I had shimmering peripheral vision, blurry vision, light flashes and increase in floaters. Worse night vision and cataracts forming,too. Also developed sleep apnea, which I understand might have an effect on vision. My vision was not the best anyway, due to myopia. If I had any idea the drug would have a negative impact on my vision, I never would have taken it. Losing my vision is one of my worst fears.

 

Georgia,

You might be interested in the article i shared with him about SSRIs and Intraocular Pressure:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701282/

 

I will try to post in proper format asap.

[Barbarannamated]

 

Chatted with an optometrist friend last nite. He is having serious eye problem (vascular) and a psychiatrist suggested he take Lexapro to help depression over losing his vision.

Psychiatrist told him that SSRIs are "self-limiting" and only raise serotonin to "normal levels". Of course, i HAD to ask how the psych would be measuring serotonin level and what "normal levels" or reference range he was using. .

 

Not to sound like broken record but to quote a department chief I worked under several yeas ago, what the h-ll is going on here with a phrase in front that you all can guess.

 

I mean, is there any psychiatrist on this earth who thinks it is normal be depressed over losing your vision or am I living in fantasyland?

 

And to perpetuate a false myth again regarding the chemical imbalance.

 

What did your friend say to this clown?

 

This discussion reminded me that the Chemical Imbalance/serotonin theory of depression is still very alive and well. We here know the truth of how this theory evolved and some psychiatrists know it is wrong, but MANY do not. I worked with this psychiatrist when he was a Resident at UC Irvine back in late 90s and SSRIs were still gaining steam. I've been awah from that scene for a decade and am not aware of any retractions or course corrections being made despite the knowledge that's come to light. The prescribing marches on.

 

I think it's easy to assume the rest of the medical community is aware of the wrong information because we are seeing the extensive damage. In reality, i don't think the reins are being pulled back at all by the majority of doctors. Even though my optometrist friend knows me very well (back 20+ years), i have no doubt that the psychiatrist word and opinion will trump mine. I'll be interested to see what my friend does.

 

Psychiatry and pharma have done nothing to publicly or officially refute the serotonin claims

[alexjuice]

Interestingly, very few of the posters on this forum appear to me to claim histories of serious depression. I'm pretty selective I suppose in my memory, but it's definitely stood out to me that in many of the histories I've read, ADs were started for all sorts of reasons other than clinical depression. And I also suspect that just about everyone would have redone their life and taken no 'medical' treatment for their symptoms - symptoms also wildly divergent.

 

Please speak up, but I can't think of one person who was suicidally depressed (or severely depressed to extent agreeing they'd need treatment-for-life) on this forum before starting psychiatric medication.

 

Maybe this test (just being very hypothetical) here could have saved a lot of trouble. I'd have loved it if I could have taken a test and it returned that I didn't need medication for depression. Of course, I didn't read the article in the original post and feel safe to assert there's no blood test that can diagnose something like depression as it's understood these days.

[compsports]

Interestingly, very few of the posters on this forum appear to me to claim histories of serious depression. I'm pretty selective I suppose in my memory, but it's definitely stood out to me that in many of the histories I've read, ADs were started for all sorts of reasons other than clinical depression. And I also suspect that just about everyone would have redone their life and taken no 'medical' treatment for their symptoms - symptoms also wildly divergent.

 

Please speak up, but I can't think of one person who was suicidally depressed (or severely depressed to extent agreeing they'd need treatment-for-life) on this forum before starting psychiatric medication.

 

Maybe this test (just being very hypothetical) here could have saved a lot of trouble. I'd have loved it if I could have taken a test and it returned that I didn't need medication for depression. Of course, I didn't read the article in the original post and feel safe to assert there's no blood test that can diagnose something like depression as it's understood these days.

 

Hi Alex,

 

I was depressed but it was due to circumstances that would have made anyone depressed. And then unfortunately, being on psych meds worsened it and then the "fun" began.

 

CS

 

PS - I did become suicidal but it was due to the drugs

[UnfoldingSky]

 

I'm curious to know what biological markers they are using.

 

Who knows...

 

"MDDScore is the first-ever blood test that screens biological indicators of depression, like inflammation and neurochemicals (the company that makes it won't reveal which ones it tests for, exactly)"

 

I doubt the company will turn over what they are testing for, not at this stage anyway...

 

And is it just me, or is this test just being recycled? Anyone remember when naturopathic doctors were claiming they had a test?

[Altostrata]

About 90% of the people taking antidepressants in the US were prescribed them for reasons other than major depression (CDC statistics http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db76.htm )

[Barbarannamated]

Just skimming the one article above, it appears that if any "biological markers" are identified, that would point to a medical / physiological condition that would then fall to another specialty such as immunology, endocrinology, neurology, nutrition, etc. Not a surprise that it's a secret formula.

[Altostrata]

That was my take, too. I tried to post this on Neuroskeptic's year-old blog post:

 

Did the researchers define what they meant by MDD?

 

Is it possible the blood test results were confounded by subclinical medical conditions producing a malaise identified as MDD?

 

People who feel listless may well describe themselves as "depressed" or be misdiagnosed as depressed.

 

How about vitamin B12 levels, were they taken into account? If any of those with "MDD" were taking stomach acid blockers, they may well have subclinical B12 deficiency, which can present as "MDD."

 

To me, there's always a question about what researchers call "MDD" or, more often, "depression" -- which seems more and more to afflict the majority of humans (making it "normal," no?).

[Georgia]

 

 

Chatted with an optometrist friend last nite. He is having serious eye problem (vascular) and a psychiatrist suggested he take Lexapro to help depression over losing his vision.

Psychiatrist told him that SSRIs are "self-limiting" and only raise serotonin to "normal levels". Of course, i HAD to ask how the psych would be measuring serotonin level and what "normal levels" or reference range he was using. .

 

I blame lexapro for some frightening things that happened to my vision. I'm fairly certain it was responsible for an increase in eye pressure, which has improved with time off the drug. I had shimmering peripheral vision, blurry vision, light flashes and increase in floaters. Worse night vision and cataracts forming,too. Also developed sleep apnea, which I understand might have an effect on vision. My vision was not the best anyway, due to myopia. If I had any idea the drug would have a negative impact on my vision, I never would have taken it. Losing my vision is one of my worst fears.

 

Georgia,

You might be interested in the article i shared with him about SSRIs and Intraocular Pressure:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2701282/

 

I will try to post in proper format asap.

 

Thank you, Barbara. I read the article you linked, and hope it convinces your friend of the potential dangers. I'm feeling lucky that I did not get acute angle glaucoma, but am considered a glaucoma suspect now, in addition to my other vision complaints.

[Barbarannamated]

In response to Alex post...

 

I was not *clinically depressed* (whatever that really is!) until many years after i was on antidepressants, had lost job, etc. I was REpressed and probably other forms of '-pressed', but never suicidal, etc. I was very functional, but not bouncing with energy. Aside from stints on trampolines, I've never bounced. I suspect there are few bouncers among us. I was even reserved as a kid.

 

Your question prompted me to think of more i could say to my friend described above. He was at a Styx concert for his birthday the nite before, posting updates on Facebook (a whole different issue!). He ran a half-marathon last weekend with his 2 kids. He and his very lovely wife spent a few weeks travelling Europe last fall. Depressed??

 

Perhaps we need a list of what depression does NOT look like.

[UnfoldingSky]

I am having trouble reading, so thought maybe someone else could answer this...Did they actively screen out people whom had been treated with drugs for the MDD trial group? How do we know that they aren't catching subtle iatrogenic injuries if they didn't?

[Barbarannamated]

Psychiatrist has convinced optometrist friend that he is very conservative in prescribing Lexapro even with eye risk and friend is convinced he can't live without medication. He's a very special longtime friend, has a son with cystic fibrosis. He's already lost one eye. I hope he's ok.

[compsports]

Psychiatrist has convinced optometrist friend that he is very conservative in prescribing Lexapro even with eye risk and friend is convinced he can't live without medication. He's a very special longtime friend, has a son with cystic fibrosis. He's already lost one eye. I hope he's ok.

 

Thanks Barb for the update.

 

That must be so tough to deal with.

 

Excuse my language but that psychiatrist can go to h-ll.

 

CS