TRH-induced TSH response in healthy volunteers: relationship to psychiatric history.

The authors measured thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in 32 healthy volunteers who had never sought or received psychiatric treatment. Nine (28%) had a family or personal history of depression or alcoholism. Five of these nine subjects and one of 22 subjects without such a history showed TSH blunting (TSH data were not available for one subject). This difference was statistically highly significant. Although there were sex differences in TSH response, TSH blunting occurred most frequently in men with a family or personal history of depression or alcoholism. The fault may have utility as a marker of past episodes or as a true marker of trait.