Abstract
This study investigated whether elevated baseline and postdexamethasone cortisol levels were more strongly related to severity of depression or presence of endogenous symptoms. In 43 inpatients with major depressive disorder, a positive correlation was found between the total score on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and 8.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. baseline and 8.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. postdexamethasone cortisol levels. Only the 8.00 a.m. postdexamethasone cortisol level was significantly correlated with the number of Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) endogenous items present. Despite a statistically significant relationship between severity and endogeneity, our results suggest elevated baseline and postdexamethasone cortisol levels may be more closely related to severity of depression, rather than the presence of a cluster of symptoms referred to as endogenous.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 199-202 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Affective Disorders |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1987 |
Funding
This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, MH-30854 to the Norris Mental Health Clinical Research Center at Stanford University (MHCRC), and a grant from the Research Service of the Veterans Administration to the Schizophrenia Biologic Research Center (SBRC) at Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center. The authors thank Helena C. Kraemer, Ph.D. and Sue Thiemann, M.S. for their valuable statistical assistance, and Angela Mardle for manuscript preparation.
Keywords
- Baseline cortisol
- Dexamethasone suppression test (DST)
- Endogeneity
- Severity of depression
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Clinical Psychology
