Depression And Anxiety Biomarker Identified In Youths Could
Become Inexpensive Screening Tool To Facilitate Early
interventionMain Category: Depression Also Included In: Anxiety
/ Stress | Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 30 Nov
2012 Scientists have discovered a cognitive biomarker - a
biological indicator of a disease - for young adolescents who
are at high risk of developing depression and anxiety. Their
findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE. The test for
the unique cognitive biomarker, which can be done on a computer,
could be used as an inexpensive tool to screen adolescents for
common emotional mental illnesses. As the cognitive biomarker
may appear prior to the symptoms of depression and anxiety,
early intervention (which has proven to be one of the most
effective ways of combatting mental illness) could then be
initiated. For the study, 15-18 year old participants underwent
genetic testing and environmental assessment, an exercise which
would currently be too expensive and take to