Scientists have developed anonline tool to predict the onset of
depression.
Academics at
University College London (UCL) developed the tool, which will
be used to identify those at risk of depression, who may benefit
from prevention.
The team developed a risk algorithm based on models used for
detecting patients at risk from heart disease. It has been tested
on 6,000 people across Europe.
Professor Michael King, UCL Department of Mental Health
Sciences, said,"Risk tools such as ours are needed to focus more
effort on preventing depression. For example, people identified as
at risk by an online tool could be flagged on a GP's computer."
The next stage of the team's research will establish how GPs
could use the tool to help prevent the onset of depression. The
team is hoping to run a large-scale trial to explore the tool's use
in prevention.
