[Endocrinological abnormalities in the neurotic states and in depression (author's transl)]

Endocrinological investigation of depressed patients shows a wide variety of abnormalities, most of them reflecting disturbed hypothalamo-hypophyseal control mechanisms. Reported results however vary widely among investigators reflecting the heterogeneity of the clinical cases and the difficulties of quantifying depression. The authors report data on 1(0) TSH, PRL and HGH secretion after TRH in a group of 19 endogenous depressed patients; 2(0) insulin secretions after a glucose load in endogenous (10 cases) and neurotic (13 cases) depression; 3(0) LH and FSH secretion after LHRH in 10 neurotic depressed men. The results are compared with those reported in the literature. Their possible contribution to the differential diagnosis of neurotic versus endogenous depression is discussed.