The diagnosis of recent-onset mental health disorders, such as depression and psychosis, could be improved in the future with the use of neuroimaging, according to UK researchers.

They say brain structures seen on neuroimaging can reveal common biological mechanisms that can be used to inform prognosis and treatment plans.

Currently the diagnosis of most mental health disorders is based on a patient’s history, symptoms and clinical observations.

This means patients may have similar underlying biological mechanisms in their illness, but have different diagnoses, according to researchers at the University of Birmingham.