Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T10:14:21.412Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Lymphocyte Response in Depressed Patients and Subjects Anticipating Bereavement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

M. T. Spurrell  and
F. H. Creed
F. H. Creed
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Rawnsley Building, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester M13 9WL
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Lymphocyte response to stimulation with phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) was assessed in 11 patients with major depression and 8 subjects anticipating bereavement, in order to examine whether altered immune response (PHA stimulation index) was more closely related to depressed mood than to sleep and weight changes. No significant relationship was found between sleep or weight changes and immune response. Depression, measured using the HRSD (with and without sleep scores) and the BDI, was related differently in the two groups. For the depressed patients, increasing depression was associated with reduction in immune response; among those anticipating bereavement (with low depression scores), increasing depression was associated with enhanced immune response. A regression curve using data from both samples demonstrated an inverted ‘U’-shaped curve relating immune response to mild and severe depressed states. The results of this study suggest a hypothesis that may explain previous discrepant results and which requires testing on more subjects.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 162 , Issue 1 , January 1993 , pp. 60 - 64
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albrecht, J., Helderman, J. H., Schlesser, M. A., et al (1985) A controlled study of affective disorders before and during somatic therapy. Psychiatry Research, 15, 185–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn) (DSM–III). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Bartrop, R. W., Luckhurst, E., Lazerus, C., et al (1977) Depressed lymphocyte function after bereavement. Lancet, i, 834–836.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., et al (1979) Cognitive Therapy of Depression. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Darko, D. F., Lucas, A. H., Gillin, J. C., et al (1988) Age, cellular immunity and the hypothalamic–pituitary axis in major depression. Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacological and Biological Psychiatry, 12, 713–720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glaser, R., Rice, J., Speicher, C. E., et al (1986) Stress depresses interferon production by leukocytes concomittant with a decrease in natural killer cell activity. Behavioural Neuroscience, 100, 675–678.Google Scholar
Hamilton, K. (1967) Development of a rating scale for primary depressive illness. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 6, 278–296.Google ScholarPubMed
Irwin, M., Daniels, M., Bloom, E. T., et al (1986) Life events, depression and natural killer cell activity. Life Sciences, 22, 1093–1096.Google ScholarPubMed
Irwin, M., Smith, T. L. & Gillin, J. C. (1987) Low natural killer cytotoxicity in major depression. Life Sciences, 41, 2127–2133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K., Garner, W., Speicher, C., et al (1984) Psychosocial modifiers of immunocompetence in medical students. Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 7–14.Google Scholar
Kronfol, Z., Silva, J., Greden, J., et al (1984) Impaired lymphocyte function in depressive illness. Life Science, 183, 241–247.Google Scholar
Laudenslanger, M. L., Ryan, S. M., Drugan, R. C., et al (1983) Coping and immunosuppression: inescapable but not escapable foot shock suppresses lymphocyte proliferation. Science, 221, 568–570.Google Scholar
Linn, M. W., Linn, B. S. & Jensen, J. (1984) Stressful events, dysphoric mood, and immune responsiveness. Psychological Reports, 54, 219–222.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Locke, S. E., Krauss, L., Lesserman, J., et al (1984) Life change stress, psychiatric symptoms and natural killer cell activity. Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 441–453.Google Scholar
Mullen, P. E., Linsdell, C. R. & Parker, D. (1986) Influence of sleep disruption and calorie restriction on biological markers of depression. Lancet, 2, 1051–1054.Google Scholar
Naor, S., Assael, M., Pecht, M., et al (1983) Correlation between emotional reaction to loss of an unborn child and lymphocyte response to autogenic stimulation in women. Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences, 20, 231–239.Google Scholar
Schleifer, S. J., Keller, S. E., Camerino, M., et al (1983) Suppression of lymphocyte stimulation following bereavement. Journal of the American Medical Association, 250, 374–377.Google Scholar
Schleifer, S. J., Keller, S. E., Meyerson, A. J., et al (1984) Lymphocyte function in major depressive disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41, 484–486.Google Scholar
Schleifer, S. J., Keller, S. E., Siris, G. S., et al (1985) Depression and immunity – lymphocyte function in ambulatory depressed patients, hospitalised schizophrenic patients and patients with herniorrhaphy. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 129–133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schleifer, S. J., Keller, S. E., Bond, R. N., et al (1989) Major depressive disorder and immunity: role of age, sex, severity and hospitalization. Archives of General Psychiatry, 46, 81–87.Google Scholar
Weir, D. M. (ed.) (1978) Handbook of Experimental Immunology, Vol. 2: Cellular Immunology (3rd edn). Oxford: Blackwell Scientific.Google Scholar
Wolff, C. T., Friedman, S. B., Hofer, M. A., et al (1964) Relationship between defences and mean urinary 17–hydroxycorticosteroid rates. Psychosomatic Medicine, 26, 576–591.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.