Can metabolic biomarkers help distinguish between depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder?

By Dr. Chinta SidharthanOct 26 2023Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. In a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers investigate whether reproducible signatures of metabolomic biomarkers could be obtained from dried blood spot samples to distinguish between depressive episodes related to major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

The tendency of patients to seek help only during depressive episodes, as opposed to manic episodes, combined with the subjective assessment of self-reported symptoms during psychiatric evaluations, make the proper diagnosis of bipolar disorder more challenging. About the study In the present study, researchers address the challenges and limitations of effectively diagnosing bipolar disorder by identifying and validating signatures for metabolomic biomarkers from dried blood spot samples. These samples were obtained from adult patients between the ages of 18 and 45 who presented indications of mild depressive symptoms on the patient health questionnaire completed during participant recruitment.

Related StoriesIndividuals diagnosed with major depressive disorders in the previous five years and whose diagnoses had been either retained as major depressive disorder or altered to bipolar disorder after the diagnostic interview during follow-up were part of the discovery cohort. Study findings Incorporating metabolic biomarkers in the diagnosis process and self-reported symptoms appears to improve the effective diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Moreover, this approach allowed the researchers to distinguish between depressive episodes related to major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

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