Depression is a mental illness affecting five percent of the global population. The World Health Association considers depression a worldwide epidemic, responsible for the deaths of two thirds of 30,000 suicides in America.  Researchers at Northwestern University are working hard to find a way to diagnose depression as easy as it is to get your blood work done.

Depression is a mental disease that many people don’t even realize they have. To make matters worse, most people that suffer from depression are too ashamed to talk about it or ask for help. For years Scientists have been looking for easier ways to diagnose the illness, and Researchers at Northwestern University may have just come up with a solution. They have developed the first blood test to diagnose clinical depression in adults.

The test observes at levels of nine RNA blood markers, which look different then the blood tests of those without depression. The first study observed 32 adults aged 21 to 79 found that the markers changed after 18 weeks of therapy, and the patients report feeling less depressed. This will be a useful test for adults, but markers did not work for adolescents diagnosed with clinical depression. Researchers also reported that this new test may open up new treatments for depression, other than anti-depressants and therapy.

Researchers at North Western University hope that this blood test will help diagnose and treat more people suffering from clinical depression.