A controversial blood test to detect bipolar

On the occasion of World Bipolar Disorder Day, the Positive Minders Association recalls that about 40% of depressed people may in fact suffer from bipolar disorder. The delay in diagnosis is estimated to be between six and eight years. Especially since bipolarity can be more complex than regular alternations of depressive phases and excitement.

However, it is important to distinguish between “simple” depression and bipolar disorder: “Treatment with antidepressant monotherapy is not recommended for bipolar disorder. You really need mood stabilizers. (which controls mood) », underlines the p^d Emilie Olié, President of the French Association of Biological Psychiatry and Neuropsychopharmacology (AFPBN). Lack of proper treatment risks serious consequences for the family and the individual. Especially with regard to the risk of suicide. “It is estimated that one in two patients will attempt suicide, one in ten will die by suicide. »

A higher ratio than other psychological disorders.

The test at €899 is non-refundable

Hence the active search to distinguish the two. Alcediag, a Montpellier-based company affiliated with the SynLab laboratory network, launched a blood test, myEDIT-B, in 2023. Available for one year in Italy, this test based on RNA analysis will be marketed in France at the beginning of April 2024. At a cost of €899, compensation is not provided by social security. Alcediag claims credibility “More than 80%” And cautions that the test is only a diagnostic aid.

“To date, no test meets the conditions for use in clinical practice”, although Emily Ollie moderated. In a press release, AFPBN “The current state of knowledge does not recommend the prescription of these diagnostic tests in psychiatry”.

Another track

Other blood test leads are followed. Still in Montpellier, p^R Raoul Belzoux, awarded the Marcel-Dassault Prize for Innovation in Psychiatry in 2022, is working on a test based on the analysis of cytokines (markers of inflammation), some of which may mark bipolarity. If the results prove positive, this test will be much less expensive than Alcediag. “The path of inflammation is one path among many others, Judge Emily Olley. I am confident that one day we will have diagnostic tests, but I cannot predict when. »

In the meantime, PositiveMinders has published a much less technical “Early Detection Tool for Bipolar Disorders,” a chart of clinical signs (especially the many signs of depression and phases of excitement) that can prompt those close to a young person to consult their doctor. , then send it to a specialist.