SOME BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF DEPRESSION

A sample of 42 patients was selected from the research project, and al l the examinees rc,ere treated for depressive psychosis at the Departm ent of Clinical Psychiatry of the Clinical Hospital ''Sestre Milosrdni ce'' in Zagreb, Croatia. The aim of the study was the analysis of biol ogical aspects that are present in depression. A review of contemporar y literature was also given, as well as the results of the research of other authors. Depressions presented clinically more difficult form o f endogenous depression: unipolar, bipolar and involutive depression. The complete clinico-laboratory examination of the studied group of pa tients was performed. Among specific laboratory tests, biochemical exa minations, detection of metabolytes of some neurotransmiters and psych ological tests were performed. The results of the study revealed lower ed serum levels of prolactine and serotonine, and also 5-HIAA in 24-ho ur urine. Those findings were in correlation with the degree of depres sion, when measured by various tests (Overall's short psychiatric rati ng scale, Hamilton's depression scale and Beck's questionnaire). A sta tistically significant negative correlation was found between prolacti ne blood levels and degree of depression according to Hamilton's scale (t = -2.369, p<0.05). Similar results were found for serotonine blood levels and 5-HIAA urine levels, although those observations were not statistically significant (t = -1.595, p>0.05 and t = -1.210, p>0.05, respectively). A large portion of patients (65.63%), mostly ones with involutive depression, also revealed localized cortical cerebral atrop hic changes on computerized tomography (CT) examination. The results o f this investigation further delineate some biological aspects of depr ession, what is of importance because of the therapy, and they also re present a considerable scientific contribution. In some patients in a studied group, a relatively high values of GT were found what was inte rpreted as the patient's attempt of the self-therapy using alcoholic b everages.