Advances In Diagnosing Mental Illnesses

The more we learn about mental illnesses (MI), the more people we discover could be suffering. The more people there are suffering from MI, the more research is being done.

So I decided to look deeper into that and write this blog about cutting edge advancements in diagnosing MI, especially depression. In the lines of a previous blog I wrote about borderline and bipolar, until today I don’t really know which disorder I have. And how do you treat it if you don’t even know what you’re targeting?

Here are two new ways to diagnose MI. My core message to you is rather optimistic - there are people that have our backs and are trying everything to improve our mental health. So, don’t give up hope!

1. Using brain scans to diagnose specific types of MI

This one is my personal favorites. When I saw this TED video below by Daniel Amen, I cried for two days. It was the first time for a long time that I actually let myself feel hopeful. I cried with the tears of a child who found the lost toy. Pure tears of aspiration and inspiration. The main lesson is - psychiatrists are the only doctors who don’t see the organ they treat. There are so many different types of depression, how is a doctor supposed to know which one with certainty? Just consider that depression alone can take so many different forms - major/moderate/mild depression, dysthymia (chronic depression), seasonal depression, peripartum/postpartum (birth-giving related) depression to name a few. So we end up trying a million types of medication instead of aiming at the right one.

Dr Amen has his own clinic but unfortunately only in the US. I will be there in a few months and will definitely try it - will keep you updated. I really hope more doctors start using his approach.

2. Diagnosing depression with a blood test

I’m sure we all know how important it is to have a good psychiatrist and psychologist. But that is subjective. As is describing your symptoms and experiences. Theoretically depression is also genetically inherited. But when and how do you know it could develop into depression? For now researchers are looking into cases of teenagers because they have a greater genetic contribution. They are also more prone to depression due to the continuous development and flexibly of their prefrontal cortex. Read this article if you want to know more about depression and anxiety in teens.

Teenagers are not the only ones being studied for diagnosing depression through blood tests. There is also a research on adults which gives scores to predict one’s probability to have a depression based on their blood. The really exciting thing is that this will ultimately help in ending stigma - having a physiological measurement of this MI will prove to skeptics that it is not in our heads and we can’t “snap out of it”!

In conclusion - it was rather hard to find this information. I really wanted to write at least three types of advances but couldn’t make it up to that number. Do you know about any other methods of improvement in diagnosing MI? Do let me know in the comments below please!

Be brave, be strong, be mentally wise!

Love,

Sofia

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