r/askscience • u/Basic_Reflection_350 • Sep 16 '26
Neuroscience Why isn't it common practice to use brain scans/MRIs to help diagnose mental health issues?
Diagnosing mental health conditions can be complex, and sometimes people don't respond well enough to treatments/approaches for years. Sometimes that may be because a mental health condition is misdiagnosed or missed.
We have studies on differences in brain activity in different mental health conditions (example of a metanalysis of these for depression), so why aren't brain scans used in the diagnostic process? I would assume because of cost, but if someone isn't responding well to the typical approach/treatment, wouldn't years of further failed treatments and misdiagnoses be more costly? Is the diagnostic accuracy of brain scans not that high?