In the study, which was funded by Ridge Diagnostics, the firm that developed the blood test, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston analyzed the levels of nine biomarkers that could distinguish patients who had a major depressive disorder from those who did not. The biomarkers analyzed were associated with inflammation, neuron development and stress response in brain structures. The blood test results were then scored on a scale that researchers created for the study. “Traditionally, diagnoses of major depression and other mental disorders had been made based on patients’ reported symptoms, but the accuracy of that process varies a great deal, often depending on the experience and resources of the clinician conducting the assessment,” Dr. George Papakostas, lead author of the study, said in a statement.” Adding an objective biological test could improve diagnostic accuracy and may also help us track individual patients’ response to treatment.” http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/02/02/blood-test-may-help-diagnose-depression/