Dexamethasone suppression test testing of depressed alcoholics.

In order to determine the sensitivity of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) for major depression in alcoholics, we administered this test to 27 alcoholics with major depression. Sixteen of 27 had abnormal DST results, yielding a 59% sensitivity for depression in alcoholics. When combined with previously reported specificity findings of 100%, the DST significantly (p less than 0.001) distinguished depressed from nondepressed alcoholics.