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Depression, Weight Loss and the Dexamethasone Suppression Test

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Alec Coppen ,
Janet Harwood  and
Keith Wood
Alec Coppen*
Affiliation:
West Park Hospital, Epsom, Surrey
*
∗Correspondence.
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Summary

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out on 143 patients with a major depressive disorder, who were classified into those with a history of weight loss (n = 89) and those without (n = 54). Seventy-three per cent of patients with weight loss and 61% of patients without had an abnormal DST; this difference was not statistically significant. Of the patients receiving prophylactic lithium therapy, 13 were found to have changed their DST status on retesting after a period of 14 months, but there was no significant difference in their weight. It is concluded that weight loss is not a necessary condition for an abnormal DST in depressive illness.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 145 , Issue 1 , July 1984 , pp. 88 - 90
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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