Major depression in the elderly: DSM-III criteria and the dexamethasone suppression test as predictors of treatment response.

Twenty-seven elderly individuals with DSM-III diagnoses of major depression who demonstrated a nonsuppressor response to the dexamethasone suppression test had higher pretreatment levels of mood disturbance, required higher dosages of antidepressant medication, and had poorer responses to treatment than 17 clinically similar individuals with a suppressor response. However, when data on the outcomes of suppressors and nonsuppressors were combined, over half of the entire group sustained significant improvement, which supports the practical value of DSM-III criteria for depression in the elderly.