The dexamethasone suppression test in panic disorder and major depressive episodes

Dexamethasone Suppression Tests (DST) were performed on 30 patients with panic disorder and on 30 patients treated for major depressive episodes in order to seek an answer to the question of whether or not the two disorders have a common biological background. The hypothesis was based on the results of family studies known from the literature and on the favorable therapeutic response obtained with tricyclic antidepressants. Normal suppressive (i.e., negative in our terminology) DSTs were found in 16.7% of the patients with panic disorder and in 56.7% of patients suffering from major depressive episodes. The anxiety indices of the two groups differed significantly from each other. The results do not suggest the possibility of a close genetic relationship between the two conditions.