title: Major depression in young girls is related to altered cortisol awakening response.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is evidence that clinical depression is associated with elevated basal cortisol levels in adult patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present investigation tries to find out, whether this relationship also holds true in adolescents with major depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 131 female subjects (63 MDD, 68 controls) the cortisol awakening response (CAR) was measured at 0, 30, 45, and 60 min after awakening. All subjects provided saliva cortisol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly higher CAR was found in patients. The global mean difference was due to differences 60 and 45 min after awakening.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A causal interpretation of the data is restricted, because of its cross-sectional nature. The effect size of the mean differences is rather small.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The observed HPA hyperactivity may be a cause as well as a consequence of depression in childhood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Physiological Psychology, University of Trier, 54286 Trier, Germany.
authors.forename: Schmidt
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ulrike
authors.forename: Laessle
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reinhold
authors.forename: Hellhammer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dirk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone