Association of beta-endorphin with specific clinical symptoms of depression.

Objective: Abnormalities in plasma concentrations of β-endorphin-like immunoreactiuity (β-endorphin) have been reported in depressed patients. This study was done to test the hypothesis that specific clinical characteristics of depression are associated with plasma β-endorphin concentration. Method: Plasma β-endorphin was evaluated in 20 depressed patients diagnosed according to DSM-III-R and in 23 age- and sex-matched comparison subjects, and each was evaluated with the structured Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS)