[Dexamethasone suppression test: a biologic marker of endogenous depression?].

In the past few years there have been numerous publications, which have stressed the value of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) as a diagnostic marker of endogenous depression. Our own studies in 333 psychiatric inpatients and 121 healthy subjects did not reveal a differential diagnostic use for the DST. This result is in good agreement with recent results published in the literature. Our own data demonstrate, however, that intervening variables, such as severity of illness, weight loss, sleep disturbances, situational stress, drug and alcohol withdrawal and the pharmacokinetics of dexamethasone, have an important influence on the DST results, regardless of the diagnostic classification.