Abstract
Background: The purpose of this preliminary study was to investigate HPA axis function in dissociation. Methods: Nine subjects with DSM-IV depersonalization disorder (DPD), without lifetime Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or current major depression, were compared to nine healthy comparison (HC) subjects of comparable age and gender. Results: DPD subjects demonstrated significant hyposuppression to low-dose dexamethasone administration and significantly elevated morning plasma cortisol levels when covaried for depression scores, but no difference in 24-hour urinary cortisol excretion. Dissociation scores powerfully predicted suppression whereas depression scores did not contribute to the prediction. Conclusions: Primary dissociative conditions, such as depersonalization disorder, may be associated with a pattern of HPA axis dysregulation that differs from PTSD and merits further study.
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Acknowledgements
Partly supported by NIMH grant MH-055582 to Dr. Simeon and NIH grant 5 MO1 RR00071 to the Mount Sinai General Clinical Research Center. Presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association New Research, Chicago, May 2000.
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Simeon, D., Guralnik, O., Knutelska, M. et al. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal Axis Dysregulation in Depersonalization Disorder. Neuropsychopharmacol 25, 793–795 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0893-133X(01)00288-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0893-133X(01)00288-3
