Blood test for depression offers new hope
Published 18/02/2014 | 02:30
THE first "biological signpost" for depression has been discovered.
Researchers found that teenage boys who had depressive symptoms and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol were 14 times more likely to be clinically depressed than those who showed only one trait.
Cambridge University scientists said the test could help identify those boys in particular at greatest risk of developing the illness
The researchers measured levels of cortisol in saliva from two separate large groups of teenagers.