New finger-prick blood test could help improve the diagnosis of bipolar disorder

A new finger-prick blood test could help improve the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which affects 1.3 million people in Britain.

It takes an average of nine and a half years to be diagnosed with bipolar, which is characterized by periods of manic highs and depressive low moods.

People with the condition are typically misdiagnosed three times before they are properly diagnosed as depressive symptoms are often mistaken for other mental health conditions: 40 percent are wrongly told they have a major depressive disorder (MDD), research shows .

This can have devastating consequences because the treatment of bipolar disorder and MDD is different. Bipolar requires a mood stabilizer, rather than antidepressants, and if people with bipolar disorder are prescribed this, it may not work or may trigger a manic episode.

It can be difficult for doctors to distinguish between the conditions because the symptoms of depression and low mood in bipolar patients are very similar, and patients with bipolar disorder tend to seek help when they are depressed and not during a manic episode.

A new finger-prick blood test could help improve the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which affects 1.3 million people in Britain (File image)

Now scientists from the University of Cambridge have devised a simple blood test to help doctors diagnose bipolar disorder quickly and accurately. It is based on research among 241 people aged 18 to 45 who had been diagnosed with MDD within the past five years. Some were misdiagnosed and even had bipolar disorder; all had depressive symptoms.

Everyone was asked to complete an online mental health assessment. They also did a finger prick blood test at home and the samples were screened in the laboratory for 630 different potential biomarkers.

The analysis identified 17 biomarkers linked to bipolar disorder, with high levels of ceramide, a type of fat that insulates brain cells, showing the strongest association.

The findings were then compared to a group of 30 patients who had been newly diagnosed with MDD or bipolar disorder during the study’s one-year follow-up period.

The researchers found that the blood test itself – looking for these 17 biomarkers – accurately identified 30 percent of people with bipolar disorder.

And when used in conjunction with the online questionnaire, it was 90 percent accurate, according to a report last week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

It takes an average of nine and a half years to be diagnosed with bipolar, which is characterized by periods of manic highs and depressive low moods (File image)

‘Psychiatric assessments are highly effective, but the ability to diagnose bipolar disorder with a simple blood test could ensure patients get the right treatment the first time,’ says Dr Jakub Tomasik, senior research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. who conducted the research.

“It would also help alleviate some of the pressure on medical professionals,” he added.

Sabine Bahn, a psychiatrist and professor of neurotechnology at the University of Cambridge who was also involved in the research, told Good Health that the blood test – the first for bipolar disorder – would be particularly useful in the 25 percent of cases where this is the case. is. unclear whether a patient has bipolar or another depressive disorder.

She says: ‘It could provide the extra information needed to make a quick, accurate diagnosis in the case of unclear complaints, for example, so that they can start treatment.

‘It also reassures the patient that there are physiological reasons for developing bipolar disorder – that it is not just in their head.

‘This can be very helpful for patients coming to terms with their diagnosis and when explaining their illness to family members. It reduces the stigma.”

Although more research is needed, Professor Bahn hopes the test will be available within ‘a few years’.

Simon Kitchen, CEO of charity Bipolar UK, described the findings as ‘potentially groundbreaking’.

“The simple blood test could significantly reduce the number of people with bipolar disorder who are misdiagnosed and reduce the delay in diagnosis,” he says.

‘This is vital because a delayed bipolar diagnosis often means living for years with untreated, often disabling symptoms, which can disrupt education, work, social and family life and increase the risk of suicide. About 36 percent of our community has told us they have attempted suicide because of the delay.”

Commenting on the study, Carmine Pariante, professor of biological psychiatry at King’s College London, said a blood test for mental illness is the “holy grail” in psychiatry.

“I welcome this pilot study, which could be very useful in distinguishing depressed patients with bipolar disorder from those with depressive disorders, because their treatment should be different,” he told Good Health. ‘However, more research is needed.

‘Other studies have already shown that biomarkers of inflammation can help predict how people will respond to treatments for depression.’