Science & technology | Unlucky 13

A blood test may help the diagnosis and treatment of depression

Snippets of RNA are the giveaways

MAJOR DEPRESSION is a serious illness, but also an elusive one. It wrecks lives and may drive people to suicide. It sometimes, though not always, alternates with periods of mania in a condition called bipolar disorder. And it is disturbingly common. Reliable figures are hard to come by, but in some parts of the world as many as one person in four experiences major depression at some point during their life.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Unlucky 13”

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