Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150:653-655
Copyright © 1993 by American Psychiatric Association
Association of nonsuppression of cortisol on the DST with primary polydipsia in chronic schizophrenia
MB Goldman, L Blake, RC Marks, D Hedeker and DJ Luchins
Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, IL 60637.
Thirteen polydipsic and 40 nonpolydipsic chronic schizophrenic patients
received the dexamethasone suppression test while stabilized on
psychotropic medication regimens. Thirty-eight percent (N = 5) of those
with polydipsia but only 5% (N = 2) of those without polydipsia were
nonsuppressors of cortisol (i.e., had an abnormal response). It is
suggested that hippocampal dysfunction could cause both polydipsia and
cortisol dysregulation in these patients.
