The dexamethasone suppression test during bereavement

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was given to 13 elderly grieving subjects having a major depressive disorder. Forty-six per cent had some predisposition for depression. All had a post-DST, 4:00 p.m. serum cortisol below 5 micrograms/dl, but these cortisols correlated with Hamilton Depression scores (r = .59, p less than .05).