There are vast number of (bio/ electro/ chemical/ optical) sensors available in the market for measuring contaminants in drinking water to various diseases.
Is there any sensor available (or under development) to provide advance warning like your depression level is going to be very high after few hours and there is a chance that either you are going to shout at home or you may commit suicide. So either control yourself or take rest.
Is there any information available about sensor for measuring depression.
You might want to take a look at the following article:
Salvatore, Paola, et al. "Biological rhythms and mood disorders." Dialogues in clinical neuroscience 14.4 (2012): 369.
dont know about a existing sensor but there is a good model for a sensor, imho;
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The answer is no at the present point of time as the causes of depression are variable and complex. Therefore there is no biosensor devices/ tests available that can be usefully used to determine the occurrence(s) of depression or a group mood disorders/ bipolar disorder, leave alone the levels of depression. The symptoms include feelings such as anxious, sad, worthless, irritable and restless. Major depressive disorder are known to be linked to multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancer, disturbed circadian rhythm, nutritional deficiencies, neurological and physiological conditions, Other types of depression are thought to be associated with diseases such as Addison's disease, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancer, hypothyroidism. A number of psychiatric syndromes feature depressed mood as a main symptom. Therefore I see the difficulties in developing a simple biosensor device to determine the depression levels.
Dr Murugesan Muthu,
You have an inbuilt sensor in yourself. When you start to have negative opinions about people around you or you talk behind their back then you know that this is an early sign of depression. The late psychiatrist Frank Lake from UK taught me this.
the in-built sensor in yourself mentioned is obviously an intelligent way of a theoretical reply to the question. However what is needed may be to include micro-bio-electronic device(s)/ tools, molecular markers and sensors which could provide practical quantitative data.
There is a study that illustrates the feasibility of a biomarker for anxiety and depression: http://www.blogher.com/new-study-highlights-feasibility-biomarker-anxiety-and-depression. By using fMRI to measure amygdala activity, those with high amygdala reactivity to fearful images, when combined with a major life stressor, are more likely to develop anxiety and depression in the future. Go to the link for more information.
http://www.blogher.com/new-study-highlights-feasibility-biomarker-anxiety-and-depression
Dear Carlo,
I do not find this study trustworthy. It reads : "mental disorders are subjectively diagnosed by clinicians, influenced by clinician bias and beliefs".
This is not at all true. A major life stressor per se provokes changes in neurotrasmitters (according to Stahl's psychopharmacology hypotheses) which correlate with anxiety and depression. Furthermore, both states correlates highly according to our observations, in vulnerable persons (perioperatively e.g. vasectomy and hysterectomy). If you suddenly loose your spouse or child no fMRI is needed.
Dear Béatrice,
Your point is well taken. But not everyone with a major life stressor will develop a depressive disorder or anxiety disorder, as people with resilience will just cope with the stressor. This study is preliminary, but anything that can help to predict who will indeed develop anxiety and depression after a major life stressor can conceivably help to prevent the conversion to disorder.
Maybe this article could add something as well...
Article Valid electrodermal hyporeactivity for depressive suicidal p...
A biosensor is problematic because physiological changes associated with depression are non-specific. However, there are validated measurement tools - which through technology can be useful for close tracking - e.g. see app built by Dr. Raymond Lam at UBC: http://www.moodfx.ca/
Dear Dr Murugesan Muthu,
I have recently reviewed the existing evidence on the usefulness of serotonin determination and other biomarkers to diagnose or monitor depression commissioned by a CME journal. The conclusions were as follows:
● The diagnosis of depression is based on careful evaluation of the patient's symptoms. ● The effectiveness of an antidepressant in a specific patient is difficult to predict a priori because interpersonal variability is very high. ● The determination of serotonin in peripheral blood has no scientific basis or practical utility for the diagnosis of depression, nor for the choice of treatment. ● Various lines of research are looking for useful biomarkers for the objective diagnosis of depression, as well as for personalizing treatment, currently without applicable results in clinical practice.
You can access the paper (in Spanish) at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339586778
Best regards,
Enric
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