The present disclosure provides methods for diagnosing and treating anxiety disorders in female subjects. Diagnosis and treatment of such anxiety disorders are based, in part, on an analysis of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) expression levels in tissue collected from female subjects.

Life-threatening traumas such as terrorist attacks, war, disasters, mental or physical assault, severe accidents and violence frequently provoke emotional and behavioral disturbances known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicide related thereto. Accurate diagnosis and treatment planning for PTSD and suicide remain difficult. The discovery of specific markers creates new opportunities for more accurate clinical assessments identifying groups that may experience better outcomes when exposed to an intervention. The present invention provides a process of detection of P-11, UBE3A, STY1, EMAP-II, SIP1, ORC5L, DCX, SCYE protein in a biological sample of a subject suspected of suffering from PTSD and/or having suicidal tendencies, and provides additional PTSD markers which are specific to gender.

The present invention relates to the field of biomarkers. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of biomarkers to predict post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In one embodiment, a method for predicting PTSD in a subject comprises the steps of (a) measuring the DNA methylation level of a CpG dinucleotide in the 3′ untranslated region of SKA2; (b) identifying the genotype at a SNP within the 3′ UTR of SKA2, and (c) predicting PTSD in the subject using a prediction algorithm.

The application of PDCD4 as a drug treatment target for anti-depression and/or anti-anxiety disorders has been proved by experimental research that the increase of PDCD4 is an important factor leading to depression in the process of stress; PDCD4 as a target to inhibit its expression or function can play a good antidepressant role, and has no effect on normal physiological state. Therefore, PDCD4 can be used as a target in the preparation and screening of antidepressant and/or anxiolytic drugs, which has a broad application prospect.

A method for determining whether a subject is at risk of developing a mental disorder; wherein the method comprises determining in a biological sample obtained from the subject a quantitative value of at lease one bio-marker of the following in the biological sample: glycoprotein acetyls, albumin, a ratio of docosahexaenoic acid to total fatty acids, a ratio of linoleic acid to total fatty acids, a ratio of monounsaturated fatty acids and/or of oleic acid to total fatty acids, a ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to total fatty acids, a ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to total fatty acids, a ratio of saturated fatty acids to total fatty acids, fatty acid degree of unsaturation, docosahexaenoic acid, linoleic acid, monounsaturated fatty acids and/or oleic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, triglycerides in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particle size, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particle size, acetate, citrate, glutamine, histidine; and comparing the quantitative value(s) of the at least one biomarker to a control sample or to a control value; wherein an increase or a decrease in the quantitative value(s) of the at least one biomarker, when compared to the control sample or to the control value, is/are indicative of the subject having an increased risk of developing a mental disorder; wherein the at least one biomarker comprises or is glycoprotein acetyls, and wherein the mental disorder is anxiety disorder and/or reaction to severe stress disorder.

Provided is a method and apparatus for predicting a posttraumatic behavior problem that may predict a posttraumatic violent behavior problem of an individual, in detail, that may determine a biological phenotype of an individual experiencing a traumatic event within a predetermined period after the individual is exposed to the traumatic event, predict a violent symptom presentation probability of the individual based on the biological phenotype of the individual, and suggest an objective basis for preventive intervention in a development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of the individual based on a prediction result.

A method of determining risk of stress in a subject involves determining in a biological sample, the level of one or more forms of calcium binding protein spermatid specific 1 protein, wherein the one or more forms comprise one or more of 12 kDa, 15 kDa, 18 kDa, 20 kDa, 27 kDa, 33 kDa, 55 kDa, or 90 kDa forms; comparing the level of the one or more forms in the sample with the level of the one or more forms in a normal control; determining whether the subject has risk of stress in accordance with the result; wherein a difference in the level of the one or more forms relative to the level of the normal control, is indicative of stress or responsiveness to stressful stimuli; and treating the subject with a stress management program that involves using one or more forms of 12 kDa, 15 kDa, 18 kDa, 20 kDa, 27 kDa, 33 kDa, 55 kDa, or 90 kDa forms as therapeutic targets.

The present invention relates to a vasopressin receptor 1B (V.sub.1B) antagonist for use in the treatment of depressive symptoms and/or anxiety symptoms in patients showing an elevated arginine vasopressin (AVP) level and/or an elevated copeptin level. The present invention further relates to a method for predicting the treatment response to a V.sub.1B antagonist in patients with depressive symptoms and/or anxiety symptoms.

The invention relates to methods of determining whether or not an individual has or is likely to develop a neurological disease and related methods and kits.

The application of PDCD4 as a drug treatment target for anti-depression and/or anti-anxiety disorders has been proved by experimental research that the increase of PDCD4 is an important factor leading to depression in the process of stress; PDCD4 as a target to inhibit its expression or function can play a good antidepressant role, and has no effect on normal physiological state. Therefore, PDCD4 can be used as a target in the preparation and screening of antidepressant and/or anxiolytic drugs, which has a broad application prospect.