Cortisol in major depression

Differential Patterns of HPA Activity and Reactivity in Adult Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

“…79 Some of the earliest studies reported significantly greater rates of nonsupression in response to the DST (DEX dosages ranging from 1 to 8 mg) compared to psychiatric controls 79 and healthy individuals, 80 with symptom severity positively correlated with post-DEX cortisol levels. 83,84 Symptom severity (specifically symptoms related to anxiety) has been found to account for almost 20% of the variance found in the DST. Nonsupression typically predicts a more severe course of illness 89 and greater chance of relapse after treatment.…”

“…As early as the mid-1950s, reports of higher cortisol in depression emerged, with levels typically normalizing as depression remitted. [73][74][75]83 Those with depression often display significantly higher cortisol not only than healthy individuals, but than those with nondepressive psychiatric disorders. While UFC values are similar among unipolar and bipolar depressives, 76,85 these populations display significantly higher 24-hour UFC than those with many other disorders, including anxiety disorders, sociopathic personality disorder, depressive disorders, and Korsakoff 's syndrome, 76 as well as schizophrenia, panic disorder, and PTSD.…”