A Friend States He Is Mildly Depressed but He's Not

question 18

Multiple Choice

A friend states he is mildly depressed but he's not sure,and he asks if there is any kind of laboratory test that could determine whether or not someone is depressed.What would you tell him?

• A) Cortisol levels are decreased in depression; he could have his cortisol levels checked by a blood test.
• B) Currently, there is no way of diagnosing depression with a laboratory test.
• C) The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) can be used only to diagnose severe cases of depression.
• D) The dexamethasone suppression test (DST) is a biological test for depression.

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Definitions:

Perfectly Negatively Correlated

Describes two variables that move in opposite directions consistently, such that when one increases, the other decreases by an exactly proportional amount.

Risk-Free Portfolio

An investment portfolio constructed entirely of assets deemed to have no risk of financial loss, often consisting of government securities.

Expected Rate

The anticipated rate of return on an investment, accounting for all known factors and risks.

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical measure that calculates the strength of the relationship between the relative movements of two variables.