Testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in female anxious and non-anxious major depression

Abstract

Objectives. Major Depression with severe anxiety has been proposed as a distinct clinical variant of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This proposal invites the investigation of the differential biological correlates of the anxious versus non-anxious MDD. One such research area might be their possible differential associations with androgens. Methods. Plasma total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone were assessed in adequately matched female inpatients with anxious MDD, non-anxious MDD and normal controls. Results. Androgen levels were significantly lower in both patient groups compared to those of controls. Moreover, they were significantly lower in anxious MDD patients compared to those of their non-anxious MDD counterparts. The limitations of this study were cross-sectional design of the study, the small sample size of the study sample and the outpatient status of the control group. In addition, free testosterone levels were not measured. Conclusions. Our findings indicate that female major depression is associated with lower androgen levels, a deficiency aggravated by the severity of their concomitant anxiety.