[Dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in adolescents after a suicide attempt]

The subject of the research were two populations: 84 adolescents aged 14-21, after sui cidal attempts (ASA--drug overdose), never treated psychiatrically, and 30 adolescents after accidental intoxication (ACI). The objective of this research was to find whether there is a relation between the observed suicidal behaviors, psychic disorders and dysfunction of the hypothalamo--pituitary--adrenal axis. In each patient the plasma levels of cortisol and ACTH were assessed, and also the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) was made. It was found that most patients in the ASA group were females. Additionally, in this group statistically higher levels of cortisol after DST were found, comparing to the ACI group. Considering the sex of patients, the differences of serum cortisol levels were significant only in females. We found that higher cortisol levels in ASA were related to diagnosed depressive disorders (mostly in females), presence of psychosocial and environmental problems, and elevated risk level of repeated suicidal attempt.