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Abstract
Serum testosterone levels (ng/dl) were measured at 2-week intervals during the course
of hospitalization in 35 male inpatients in the following four diagnostic groups:
undifferentiated schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder-manic,
and major depressive disorder (endogenous type). The mean (± se) testosterone levels
during hospitalization were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the schizophrenic patients (510 ± 38) than in the affective disorder patients (347
± 25). This difference persisted throughout hospitalization, being present in the
first sample following admission (p < 0.03) and the final sample before discharge (p < 0.01). The above group differences were largely due to high testosterone levels in the paranoid
schizophrenic subgroup (mean ± se level of 559 ± 41). A longitudinal, as well as cross-sectional,
view of the hormonal and clinical data suggests that the testosterone system is linked
to both state and trait psychological factors, and this issue is discussed in the
light of prior basic psychoendocrine research on this system. The potential application
of these findings for new approaches to the development of biological criteria for
psychiatric diagnosis is discussed.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
July 18,
1987
Received:
March 24,
1987
The authors thank Helen Losnes, Margo Cinquante, and Jack Paugas for skillful and reliable technical assistance.Footnotes
☆Supported in part by Veterans Administration Research Funds and National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Award MH 00346 to J.W.M.
Identification
Copyright
© 1988 Published by Elsevier Inc.
