Relationship of dexamethasone (2 mg) and plasma cortisol hypersecretion in depressive illness: Clinical and neuroendocrine parameters

Dexamethasone (2 mg) resistance and cortisol hypersecretion are two neuroendocrine abnormalities seen in approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of endogenously depressed patients. Both neuroendocrine disturbances are presumed to reflect increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity. The investigators studied the above neuroendocrine assessments in the same group of endogenously depressed patients. The focus was upon the relationship of various clinical correlates with dexamethasone resistance and plasma cortisol hypersecretion; the main hypthesis was that if both tests of cortisol abnormality were associated with specific depressive symptoms, then they were more likely to reflect similar underlying mechanisms.