Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) tasting and reported depression

The phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) taste test was investigated for its potential as a genetically based biological marker for depression. One hundred and one male and female adults (including 6 patients hospitalized for depression), aged 18‐36, completed a multifactor depression questionnaire that included the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a scale that measures severity of depression in mother and father, and a commercially prepared PTC (paper) taste test. As predicted, PTC tasters reported significantly higher levels of depression on the BDI than nontasters (p < .05); also, they scored higher on 5 of the 21 items (p < .05). Significantly more subjects who reported a mother debilitated by depression were PTC tasters (p < .05). Limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.