How do you know when someone who talks about suicide will actually go through with it? Even experts have difficulty deciding which depressed patients need protection. University of Iowa scientists believe they've found a way to asses risk: a blood test that checks glands controlling the stress hormone cortisol. Overactive glands may be a corollary to the mental turmoil that leads people to take the final step. Patients given the "dexamethasone suppression test" while hospitalised for major depression showed that 32 of the 78 patients were churning out excess cortisol. Tracking the group over 15 years found that 7 of the 32 with the abnormal result had killed themselves, compared with only one of the patients who had normal results. Those with high cortisol levels were 14 times more likely to commit suicide. If the findings hold up in larger studies, they believe the test could prove to be a powerful tool for the mental health community.
No comments:
Post a Comment