Psychological Reports, 1991, 69, 878.
O Psychological Reports 1991
NATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN DEXAMETHASONE SUPPRESSION TEST RESULTS AND SUICIDE RATES ' DAVID LESTER
Richard Stockton Sbte College Summary.-For 10 nations suicide rates were not correlated with the percentages of depressed patients who responded abnormally to the Dexamethasone Suppression Test.
Rihmer (1987) reported results of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) from depressed patients in twelve countries. Abnormal responding on this test has been implicated as being correlated with suicidal behavior (Lester, 1988), so the present study explored whether national differences in DST response were related to national suicide rates. Suicide rates were available from the Annual Statistics of the World Health Organization for ten of the twelve nations for 1986 or 1987. The Pearson correlation between the national suicide rates and the percentage of depressed patients responding abnormally on the DST was 0.16 and with the mean post-DST serum cortisol level 0.09. Thus, national differences in the DST response of depressed patients was not related to national suicide rates. It might be of interest, however, to collect data on and correlate the percentage of normal persons who respond abnormally on the DST with national suicide rates. REFERENCES
LESTER,D. The biochemical basis of suicide. Springfield, IL: Thomas, 1988 RIHMER, Z. The geography of DST. Biological Psychiatry, 1987, 22, 1044-1045. Accepted November 6, 1991
'Address requests for reprints to D. Lester, Ph.D., Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pomona, NJ 08240.
O Psychological Reports 1991
NATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN DEXAMETHASONE SUPPRESSION TEST RESULTS AND SUICIDE RATES ' DAVID LESTER
Richard Stockton Sbte College Summary.-For 10 nations suicide rates were not correlated with the percentages of depressed patients who responded abnormally to the Dexamethasone Suppression Test.
Rihmer (1987) reported results of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) from depressed patients in twelve countries. Abnormal responding on this test has been implicated as being correlated with suicidal behavior (Lester, 1988), so the present study explored whether national differences in DST response were related to national suicide rates. Suicide rates were available from the Annual Statistics of the World Health Organization for ten of the twelve nations for 1986 or 1987. The Pearson correlation between the national suicide rates and the percentage of depressed patients responding abnormally on the DST was 0.16 and with the mean post-DST serum cortisol level 0.09. Thus, national differences in the DST response of depressed patients was not related to national suicide rates. It might be of interest, however, to collect data on and correlate the percentage of normal persons who respond abnormally on the DST with national suicide rates. REFERENCES
LESTER,D. The biochemical basis of suicide. Springfield, IL: Thomas, 1988 RIHMER, Z. The geography of DST. Biological Psychiatry, 1987, 22, 1044-1045. Accepted November 6, 1991
'Address requests for reprints to D. Lester, Ph.D., Psychology Program, Richard Stockton State College, Pomona, NJ 08240.
