Member-only story
Can an At-Home Test Tell If You’re Biologically Depressed?
Neurotransmitter testing kits promise insights into mental health based on a simple urine analysis
Today, from the comfort of my own home, I can spit in a tube to see where my ancestors are from, take a blood sample by pricking my finger to see how fertile I am, and, apparently, pee in a cup to see exactly why I’m depressed and anxious.
But wait a minute. Is it really possible that there’s finally a way to get insights into your mental health — something that doctors have long said you can’t really test for — by taking a simple test at home?
According to testing companies such as Labrix or ZRT Laboratory, it is. They say home testing can provide answers and insights into why an individual experiences a mental health condition — be it anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, or addiction — by testing neurotransmitter levels that pass into urine.
Testing for molecules in body fluids to get an idea of someone’s physical health is well established in medicine. Science has made progress in testing so-called biomarkers that are actually predictive of health or disease and clinically useful — one great example is testing and understanding biomarkers regarding breast cancer detection and treatment. It’s tempting to apply…
