Dexamethasone suppression test in depression: association with duration of illness

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Abstract
– Plasma cortisol response to 1 mg dexameihasone suppression test was investigated in 37 patients with primary major depressive illness. Non-suppression of plasma cortisol was found in 14 of 37 (38 %) patients. Duration of the index episode of illness was significantly shorter in the non-suppressors (11.1 ± 9.1 weeks) than in the suppressors (29.7 ± 25.6 weeks). The two groups were not distinguished by age, sex, polarity or severity of depressive symptoms. Eighty per cent of the non-suppressors (4/5) and 57 % of the suppressors (8/14) had severe life events or major difficulties in the 6 months preceding the onset of illness, but this difference failed to reach statistical significance.