Pollock D C, Sheehan M E
J Fam Pract. 1982 Oct;15(4):641-5.
The application of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) to the treatment of depressive illness is discussed from the perspectives of its use in diagnosis, the measurement of outcome, and the prediction of response to antidepressant medications. Patients with nonsuppressing depression occur in about one half of the endogenously depressed population and probably represent a norepinephrine-deficient subtype of the syndrome. There is clear evidence that a change in the DST from nonsuppression to suppression parallels recovery from a depressive illness, and this may be used as an objective measure of outcome. Early studies show promise that the DST can predict the antidepressant of choice, although there are some limitations of the DST in treatment choice.
从地塞米松抑制试验（DST）在抑郁症诊断中的应用、治疗效果的衡量以及对抗抑郁药物反应的预测等方面，探讨了该试验在抑郁症治疗中的应用。内源性抑郁症患者中约有一半存在地塞米松抑制试验无抑制反应的情况，这可能代表了该综合征中一种去甲肾上腺素缺乏的亚型。有明确证据表明，地塞米松抑制试验从无抑制反应转变为抑制反应与抑郁症的康复同步，这可作为治疗效果的客观衡量标准。早期研究显示，地塞米松抑制试验有望预测首选的抗抑郁药物，尽管该试验在治疗选择方面存在一些局限性。
