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The Dexamethasone Suppression Test in Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Edward E. Schweizer*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 203 Piersol Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Charlotte M. Swenson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 203 Piersol Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Andrew Winokur
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, 203 Piersol Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Karl Rickels
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania, 203 Piersol Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
Greg Maislin
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics, University of Pennsylvania, 203 Piersol Building, 3400 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
*
Correspondence

Abstract

The dexamethasone suppression test was performed on 79 patients with a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder. A non-suppression rate of 27% was obtained, comparable to that found in out-patient major depression but notably higher than previous reports in panic disorder. No good clinical predictors of non-suppression were discovered, nor was the co-occurrence of depression sufficient to account for the finding.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1986 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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