GROWTH-HORMONE RESPONSE TO INTRAVENOUS CLONIDINE IN SOCIAL PHOBIA - COMPARISON TO PATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER AND HEALTHY-VOLUNTEERS

The growth hormone (GH) response to intravenous administration of clon idine hydrochloride (2 mug/kg) was assessed in 16 patients with DSM-II I-R social phobia, 13 patients with DSM-III-R panic disorder, and 31 h ealthy controls. Compared to the healthy volunteers, both social phobi c and panic-disorder patients had significantly blunted GH increments after clonidine. The social phobic patients demonstrated a similar deg ree of GH ''blunting'' to clonidine as did the patients with panic dis order.