Are there
any blood tests of other tests available for depression?
No objective
tests are available for depression. Some tests used in research protocols
examine levels of certain stress hormones or look at brain functioning.
These are research based only, however, and have no utility in clinical
practice. Your doctor may order blood tests to check for any underlying
conditions that may mimic depression such as low thyroid hormone. Blood
tests or electrocardiograms may be ordered for baseline purposes,
depending on the medication that is to be prescribed, as some medications
may have effects on certain organ systems in the body.
Although not a
required part of an evaluation, some clinicians will use various rating
scales and self-report forms to assist in the evaluation process. Scales
may be useful in tracking the progression of the depression in a
quantifiable way. Comprehensive diagnostic scales can guide the clinician
in going through a differential diagnostic process in order to exclude
other causes for the symptoms before establishing a diagnosis. Such
scales may indeed establish a diagnosis of a depression, but they are
based on the same clinical criteria used without a scale. These scales
are mostly useful in research to establish reliability in diagnosis and
to increase the validity of the study.
