TY - JOUR
T1 - Multiplicity of depressive episodes
T2 - Phenomenological and neuroendocrine correlates
AU - Gurguis, George N M
AU - Meador-Woodruff, James H.
AU - Haskett, Roger F.
AU - Greden, John F.
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Clinical Studies Unit of the Michigan Depression Program, Department of Psychiauy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Address reprint requests to Dr. George Gurguis, Biological Psychiatry Branch, NIMH, Bldg I0, Room 3S239, 9000 Rockville Pike, Betbesda, MD 20892. Received January 20, 1989; revised October 7, 1989. Supported in part by NIMH Grant I R0 !-40216-01 (J.F.G.) and the Depa~.ment of Psychiatry and the Theophile Raphael Fund at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Presented in part at the 41st Annual Meeting of thc Society of Biological Psychiatry, Washington, D.C., May 7-11, 1986.
PY - 1990/5/15
Y1 - 1990/5/15
N2 - Sixty-four patients with a Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) diagnosis of major depressive disorder were categorized into three groups based on their number of depressive episodes (DE): Gr 1 (1 DE), n = 16, Gr II (2-4 DE), n = 25; and Gr III (5 or more DE), n = 23. All patients were nonsuppressors after 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) prior to the start of treatment. Patients were monitored during the course of their treatment using serial Hamilton Depression scores and post-DST plasma cortisol levels. A proportionately equal number of patients in the three groups had a favorable outcome, i.e., the number of depressive episodes did not predict recovery. Despite favorable clinical outcome, patients with higher numbers of depressive episodes had significantly higher post-DST plasma cortisol levels that were above the supressive range (greater than 5 μg/dl). Patients with a higher number of depressive episodes had a significantly shorter duration of index episodes and were younger at first depressive episode than patients in the other two groups. These results, however, were confounded with polarity, with a higher number of bipolars in Gr III than in the other two groups. Results are discussed in light of phenomenological and psychoendocrine findings of earlier studies.
AB - Sixty-four patients with a Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) diagnosis of major depressive disorder were categorized into three groups based on their number of depressive episodes (DE): Gr 1 (1 DE), n = 16, Gr II (2-4 DE), n = 25; and Gr III (5 or more DE), n = 23. All patients were nonsuppressors after 1 mg dexamethasone suppression test (DST) prior to the start of treatment. Patients were monitored during the course of their treatment using serial Hamilton Depression scores and post-DST plasma cortisol levels. A proportionately equal number of patients in the three groups had a favorable outcome, i.e., the number of depressive episodes did not predict recovery. Despite favorable clinical outcome, patients with higher numbers of depressive episodes had significantly higher post-DST plasma cortisol levels that were above the supressive range (greater than 5 μg/dl). Patients with a higher number of depressive episodes had a significantly shorter duration of index episodes and were younger at first depressive episode than patients in the other two groups. These results, however, were confounded with polarity, with a higher number of bipolars in Gr III than in the other two groups. Results are discussed in light of phenomenological and psychoendocrine findings of earlier studies.
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U2 - 10.1016/0006-3223(90)90052-4
DO - 10.1016/0006-3223(90)90052-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 2340324
AN - SCOPUS:0025268139
SN - 0006-3223
VL - 27
SP - 1156
EP - 1164
JO - Biological Psychiatry
JF - Biological Psychiatry
IS - 10
ER -