[Dexamethasone suppression in the depressed patient. Reflections apropos of an experience]

This work, based on the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for 28 patients classified according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), tries, by examining the literature, to point out the acquired knowledge through this new biological psychiatric instrument. The results confirm those of previous works. The discussion is directed towards a better delimitation between the different categories of primary affective disorder and the possible extensions of DST to other fields not yet enough studied.