A tool for predicting the risk of clinical depression in teenage boys has been developed by researchers.

Looking for high levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reports of feeling miserable， lonely or unloved could find those at greatest risk.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge want to develop a way of screening for depression in the same way as heart problems can be predicted.

However， their method was far less useful in girls.

Teenage years and early adulthood are a critical time for mental health - 75% of disorders develop before the age of 24.

But there is no way to accurately say who will or will not develop depression.

RISKY COMBINATION

Now researchers say they have taken the \"first step\" towards a screening tool.

Tests on 1，858 teenagers， reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences， combined hormone levels and mood questionnaires to assess risk.

They showed that having both high cortisol levels and depressive mood symptoms posed a higher risk of depression than either factor alone and presented a risk of clinical depression 14 times that of those with low cortisol and no depressive symptoms.

Around one in six boys was in the high-risk category and half of them were diagnosed with clinical depression during the three years of study.

One of the researchers， Prof Ian Goodyer， said: \"Depression is a terrible illness that will affect as many as 10 million people in the UK at some point in their lives.

\"Through our research， we now have a very real way of identifying those teenage boys most likely to develop clinical depression.

\"This will help us strategically target preventions and interventions at these individuals and hopefully help reduce their risk of serious episodes of depression， and their consequences， in adult life.\"

\"MANY CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS\"

Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression during their lifetimes， but the test was little help in determining risk.

One theory is that women naturally have higher cortisol levels， which affects their risk.

However， the test is not yet ready for clinical use.

Dr John Williams， from the Wellcome Trust， which funded the study， said: \"Progress in identifying biological markers for depression has been frustratingly slow， but now we finally have a biomarker for clinical depression.\"

Sam Challis， from mental health charity Mind， said: \"This study claims there is a biomarker linked to depression， but it's important to bear in mind that many factors play a part in depression， such as life events， genetic factors， side effects of medication and diet.

\"However， this research could help identify those who may need extra support.

\"We know that it is possible to recover from a mental health problem， and this is more likely for those who seek help straight away.\"

皮質(zhì)醇水平、孤獨(dú)感、痛苦感及缺乏關(guān)愛等感受可被視為青少年抑郁的前兆。近日，劍橋大學(xué)的科學(xué)家正在嘗試發(fā)明一種測試，以期早日發(fā)現(xiàn)抑郁癥高發(fā)人群并進(jìn)行干預(yù)。目前，該項(xiàng)研究已經(jīng)取得初步效果，科學(xué)家們對1858名青少年進(jìn)行了荷爾蒙皮質(zhì)醇水平檢測和心情問卷調(diào)查，結(jié)合二者結(jié)果來測量受試者患上抑郁癥的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。實(shí)驗(yàn)結(jié)果顯示，六分之一的男生皮質(zhì)醇水平高且有壓抑心情傾向，被測定為高危人群，其中一般在三年研究期間被確診為臨床抑郁癥。但這種測試對女性效果欠佳，且尚不能用于臨床診斷?？茖W(xué)家稱，這種測試方法終于為測試抑郁癥確定了一種生物標(biāo)記，盡管抑郁癥誘發(fā)因素很多，如基因、藥物和飲食的副作用等，但這種測試方法可以早日發(fā)現(xiàn)抑郁癥高危人群并為他們提供幫助和關(guān)愛。

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26224812 ]