Stability of the dexamethasone suppression test in borderline personality disorder with and without comorbid PTSD: A one-year follow-up study

✍ Scribed by Katja Wingenfeld; Wolfgang Lange; Hella Wulff; Christina Berea; Thomas Beblo; Anamaria Silva Saavedra; Christoph Mensebach; Martin Driessen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 116 KB
• Volume: 63
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20396

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Alterations in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis feedback regulation have been repeatedly reported in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Due to the cross‐sectional design of these studies, little is known about the longitudinal course of HPA axis functioning. In a sample of 13 patients with BPD, the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) has been used in a one‐year follow‐up study. There were no changes of cortisol concentrations before or after dexamethasone intake between baseline and follow‐up examination. Patients with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) showed more pronounced cortisol suppression compared to those without PTSD. The DST seems to be a stable marker of alterations in HPA axis feedback regulation in BPD, which is also reflected by substantial correlations between percentage of cortisol suppression at baseline and follow‐up examination. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 63: 843–850, 2007.