Attitudes to mental illness

Abstract

aspects of primary endogenous depression VIII. Pituitary gonadal-axis activity in male patients and matched control subjects. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 14,217â€"229.SACHAR,E. J., HALPERN,F., ROSENFELD, R. S., ci al(1973) Plasma and urinary testosterone levels in depressed men. Archives of GeneralPsychiatry,28, 15â€"18 This finding therefore concurs with that of Yesavage eta! (1985).Thirdly, is there an age factor? We found no association of testosterone levels with age (r = â€"¿ 0.26, P = 0.4; n = 11), neither was there an association of depression, as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, with age (r= 0.08, NS and r=0.22, NS). 16 individually matched controls, and no significant differences in total testosterone were found, we hesi tate to say that our results may reflect a type II error; more so since (as we stated) Rubin et a! found testos terone levels to correlate positively with melancholia in the subgroup of six men with melancholia accord ing to DSMâ€"IH criteria, and all of our patients were melancholic. Because of our small sample, we were particularly stringent in statistical analyses, and a test of significance showed P=0.025 for levels of salivary testosterone in the depressed men compared with non-depressed controls.Secondly, in the depressed group itself we found significantly lower salivary testosterone levels to be ass*lated with more severe depression. One possible cause (of several) suggested was hypercortisolaemia. Having examined the correlation between cortisol and testosterone, there is no support for this. The correlation between cortisol and testosterone was r= 0.042 (P= 0.9; n =11) before dexamethasone and r= â€"¿ 0.11 (P=0.7; n= 10) after dexamethasone. .20, 199â€"228.