Post-partum psychoses and the dexamethasone suppression test.
The hypothesis that post-partum psychoses are predominantly mixed affective disorders was tested by administering the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) to seven puerperal psychotics, six puerperal depressives and comparison groups of non-puerperal psychotic and depressed women. The hypothesis received support from the finding that two-third of the puerperal patients had positive DSTs versus one-third of similar non-puerperal patients. An 80% rate of positive DSTs in 19 normal women 5 days post-partum, however, suggested this was an invalid interpretation of this finding, particularly as the majority of these tests returned to normal when repeated several weeks later.
D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D003907:Dexamethasone; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*
D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone