title: Value of the DST for predicting response of patients with major depression to hospitalization and desipramine.
abstract: The authors examined the value of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for predicting response of patients with unipolar, nonpsychotic major depression to 1 week of hospitalization without antidepressant drugs and to a 4-week trial of desipramine at a fixed plasma level. The rates of response to hospitalization without drug treatment (defined as a score of 12 or less on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression) were not significantly different for the patients with a positive DST and those with a negative DST. This finding differs from those of prior studies of the DST and response to placebo. The responses of the DST-positive and DST-negative patients to desipramine also did not differ, a finding that replicates those in some prior reports.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mazure
authors.forename: P I
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Jatlow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D003891:Desipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011336:Probability; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone; D003891:Desipramine; D006854:Hydrocortisone