CORT and depressive symptom measurement: Evidence suggests that the anxiety and despair symptoms in depression patients might originate from hyperactivity of the HPA axis, leading to the excessive release of stress hormones such as corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and CORT, resulting in impaired and dysregulated negative feedback mechanisms in the body (de Kloet et al., 2005).