title: HPA-axis abnormalities in psychiatrically well controls.
abstract: The considerable divergence in the literature describing dexamethasone suppression test (DST) nonsuppression rates among psychiatrically well controls led the authors to explore screening procedures as a possible source of variance. Using what they judged to be a typical screening procedure, the authors eliminated 69 of 128 subjects responding to an advertisement seeking psychiatrically and physically healthy subjects. Structured interviews for Axis I and II disorders then revealed that 36% of the remaining 59 subjects nevertheless had historical evidence of psychiatric illness; the 38 who passed all phases of screening underwent three monthly DSTs, which demonstrated the stability over time of both normal and abnormal results. Moreover, a family study revealed that relatives of nonsuppressors had a significantly higher morbid risk of affective disorder (20.5% vs. 8.8%), particularly mania and hypomania.
mesh_terms: D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003907:Dexamethasone; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D003907:Dexamethasone; D006854:Hydrocortisone