Twenty-seven elderly individuals with DSM-III diagnoses of major
depression who demonstrated a nonsuppressor response to the dexamethasone
suppression test had higher pretreatment levels of mood disturbance,
required higher dosages of antidepressant medication, and had poorer
responses to treatment than 17 clinically similar individuals with a
suppressor response. However, when data on the outcomes of suppressors and
nonsuppressors were combined, over half of the entire group sustained
significant improvement, which supports the practical value of DSM-III
criteria for depression in the elderly.Abstract Teaser