Biological markers of affective disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot study with desipramine

Three biological markers of affective disorders and response to desipramine were used to study the relationship of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to affective illness. Blunted TRH response and decreased REM latency in eight patients with PTSD occurred at frequencies similar to those that have been found in patients with major affective disorder. Pretreatment Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Beck Depression Inventory scale scores were elevated; scores after 4 weeks' treatment with desipramine revealed significant (p less than .05 and p less than .005, respectively) improvement. These findings support a link between PTSD and affective illness.