In the future, blood tests could reveal suicidal thoughts at an early stage in people with severe depression. The results could soon personalize mental health care.
Since many chronic diseases are associated with depression, treatment at the metabolic level could also mean an improvement in these diseases. “If the results can be used to identify people at greatest risk, it could ultimately help us save more lives,’ says Robert Naviaux, a professor at the San Diego School of Medicine. The majority of patients with treatment-resistant depression have suicidal thoughts.