Does the Dexamethasone Suppression Test Predict Antidepressant Treatment Success?

The 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out in patients with a major depressive illness in order to establish whether the results of this test, given before antidepressant or ECT treatment, could predict eventual therapeutic outcome. No significant difference could be detected in o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of psychiatry 1985-03, Vol.146 (3), p.294-296
Main Authors: Coppen, Alec, Milln, Philip, Harwood, Janet, Wood, Keith
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use
Biological and medical sciences
Depressive Disorder - blood
Depressive Disorder - therapy
Dexamethasone
Electroconvulsive Therapy
Female
Humans
Hydrocortisone - blood
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Prognosis
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Treatments
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Description
Summary:The 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out in patients with a major depressive illness in order to establish whether the results of this test, given before antidepressant or ECT treatment, could predict eventual therapeutic outcome. No significant difference could be detected in overall therapeutic improvement between those patients with a normal or abnormal DST response respectively, based on the 50 ng/ml cortisol cut-off point. However, using 100 ng/ml as a cut-off point it was found that patients with an abnormal DST response (i.e. a post-DST plasma cortisol concentration ⩾ 100 ng/ml) responded significantly better than those who had a normal DST response. These observations were statistically significant for those patients receiving antidepressants and in the combined treatment groups of those patients receiving either antidepressants or ECT.
ISSN:0007-1250
1472-1465
DOI:10.1192/bjp.146.3.294