정신과 환자의 Dexamethasone Suppression Test 에 대한 반응에 관한 연구

A Study of Dexamethasone Suppression Test in Psychiatric Patients

In the diagnosis and clinical study of the psychiatric field, dexamethasone suppression test is widly used. Dexamethasone suppression test has been used as powerful modality for the depression as far as endogenous depression is concerned. Advantage and problems relating to the use of dexamethasone suppression test from endogenous depression are differently discussed so far. It was reported that non-suppression rate is significantly high level in endogenous depression or vice versa, moreover, it is still high level in other psychiatric illness. Because of the complexity and diversity of sensitivity and specificity, no single comprehensive study is suitable for the dexamethasone suppression test. A total of 56 patients who were diagnosed as functional mental disorder were admitted to dept, of neuropsychiatry, Inje Medical College, Palk hospital, Seoul, from December 1985 to April 1986，consisting of male, female, disease group (schizophrenic disorder, affective disorder and other neuroses) and ranging in different age group. The clinical diagnosis was made according to the DSM-III criteria. Each patient was examed by oar mental symptom checklist. Pre-dexamethasone serum cortisol level was obtained at 16:00 and followed by post-dexamethasone serum cortisol level at 08:00 and 16:00 hour. Statistical analysis were performed using the student’s t-test and chi square test. 1) Early morning awakening, social withdrawal and mood incongruent delusion are relatively signigicant in non-suppressor (p < 0 . 1 ). 2) No significant difference was found in schizophrenic disorder group, affective disorder group and other neuroses group (p > 0 .1 ). 3) pre-dexamethasone serum cortisol level is significantly high level in non-suppressor comparing with suppressor (p < 0.05). 4) No significant difference was found in sex and in age group (p > 0 .1 ).