Pituitary-Adrenal Disinhibition and Suicide Attempts in Depressed Patients

In this investigation of the biological correlates of suicidal behavior, patients diagnosed as having major depressive disorders were subjected to DST evaluation. Those studied numbered 117; average age was similar for both sexes. Suicide attempts were classified according to the SADS (23 females, 1 male). High-risk depressives & those who had not attempted suicide were not differentiated by neuroendocrine abnormalities affecting hypothalmic-pituitary function. 15 Refs. (NBB)