Depression and anxiety ratings in relation to the excretion of urinary total 17-OHCS in depressive subjects

Abstract

1. 1. The excretion of urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids was measured by means of the method of Appleby et al. [13] on admission to hospital and one month later, in 28 patients suffering from mental depression. 2. 2. On admission, corticoid values exceeding the normal upper limit of 16 mg/24 hr were found only in 6 patients. One month later there was no consistent reduction in the corticoid excretion. 3. 3. According to the scores obtained by Beck's Depression Inventory, 26 of the 28 patients studied suffered from depression. After one month of treatment a renewed examination with the test showed a decrease of the scores down to the ‘no depression” range in all except 8 patients. 4. 4. In many patients with decreased post-treatment depression scores, no decrease in 17-OHCS excretion was observed. This observation indicates that subjectively assessed improvement of depression can take place without reduction of corticoid excretion. 5. 5. It was not possible to differentiate depression patients with a high degree of anxiety from depression patients with low anxiety by the administration of Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Scale, because patients with high scores on the Depression in Inventory also tended to have high scores on the Manifest Anxiety Scale. 6. 6. When the patients were divided into “high excretors” and “low excretors”, the dividing line being 10 mg/24hr 17-OHCS, it was found after one month of treatment that the high excretors had lower scores on the two psychometric tests. 7. 7. The male patients as a group were found to be “high excretors” who also showed the high excretors' post-treatment ratings in the diagnostic tests. However, the female patients with high excretion values behaved similarly to the male patients. 8. excretion and another with no elevationof 17-OHCS excretion, and that the subjective recovery measured by the Depression Inventory took place in some patients with high 17-OHCS excretion before a decrease in 17-OHCS excretion was observed.