Dexamethasone suppression test and sleep deprivation in endogenous depression.

The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) was carried out in 24 endogenously depressed and 15 non-endogenously depressed patients before and on the day after therapeutic sleep deprivation (SD) for one night. The diagnostic selectivity of DST results was not improved by combination with SD. The alteration of DST cortisol levels after SD, irrespective of the direction of change (so-called cortisol response) was significantly higher in endogenous depressives than in neurotic depressives. No unequivocal statement was possible on (a) the predictive value of DST data for the SD effect and (b) the relationship between neuroendocrine changes and the antidepressive effect of SD.