Clinical variables and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function in depression. The importance of mood reactivity.

Forty outpatients with major depressive disorder were studied with the 1 mg DST and the Afternoon Cortisol Test. No relationship was found between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and Research Diagnostic Criteria subtypes of depression, with the exception of higher log post-dexamethasone cortisol levels in endogenous depressives. Patients with mood reactivity had lower cortisol values on all assessments. The data suggest that the presence of mood reactivity may be useful as a predictor of normal HPA function in depression.