The Relationship Between DST Results and Suicidal Behavior
Abstract
The authors assessed the relationship between dexamethasone suppression test (DST) results and suicidal ideations and behavior. Four-hundred-twenty-three mood disorder patients admitted to a tertiary care medical center were administered the DST from 1978 to 1981. The patients were subsequently followed up to determine death status using a record-linkage method. More than 44% had abnormal cortisol suppression (nonsuppressors) at the index admission. Suppressors and nonsuppressors did not differ significantly with respect to frequency of suicidal ideations or completed suicides. Suppressors were significantly more likely than nonsuppressors to have a history of suicide attempts or to have a suicide attempt following hospital discharge. Using logistic regression, and controlling for several important variables including diagnosis, maximum postdexamethasone cortisol was not significantly associated with suicide, suicidal ideation, or suicide attempts. We conclude that an abnormal DST is not useful as a predictor of suicidal behavior.
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Nonsuppression on the dexamethasone suppression test predicts suicide, but there is disagreement about nonfatal attempts.
“Nonsuppression on the dexamethasone suppression test, which assesses this HPA axis glucocorticoid receptor feedback loop, predicts suicide (151-153), but there is disagreement about nonfatal attempts (154-158).”
From A brain-centric model of suicidal behavior (2020) · cites this paper as [158]
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- Authors
- Black, D., Monahan, P., & Winokur, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Iowa (US)
- Indiana University School of Medicine (US)
- Venue
- Annals of Clinical Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-06-01
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 83-88
- ISSN
- 1040-1237 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2069343532
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 4.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annals of Clinical Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Bipolar Disorder and Treatment
- Keywords
- dexamethasone suppression test, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide mortality, cortisol suppression, mood disorders, suicide risk prediction, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Dexamethasone, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Glucocorticoids, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Middle Aged, Risk Factors, Suicide, Mood Disorders
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