According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), the diagnosis of a Major Depression Episode (MDE) requires five or more symptoms to be present within a 2-week period (4).
To be diagnosed with depression, an individual must have five depression symptoms every day, nearly all day, for at least 2 weeks. One of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities.
Sadness or depressed mood most of the day or almost every day. Loss of enjoyment in things that were once pleasurable. Major change in weight (gain or loss of more than 5% of weight within a month) or appetite. Insomnia or excessive sleep almost every day.
Per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), an individual must have five of the above-mentioned symptoms, of which one must be a depressed mood or anhedonia causing social or occupational impairment, to be diagnosed with MDD.
Although depression may occur only once during your life, people typically have multiple episodes. During these episodes, symptoms occur most of the day, nearly every day and may include: Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness.
80% of people living with depression not diagnosed or treated.
- Must have either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure. - Symptoms must cause significant distress or impairment. - No manic or hypomanic behavior.
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is widely used to screen for depression and to measure behavioral manifestations and severity of depression. The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory contains 21 self-report items which individuals complete using multiple choice response formats.
Your doctor may determine a diagnosis of depression based on: Physical exam. Your doctor may do a physical exam and ask questions about your health. In some cases, depression may be linked to an underlying physical health problem.
Symptoms must last at least two weeks and must represent a change in your previous level of functioning for a diagnosis of depression. Also, medical conditions (e.g., thyroid problems, a brain tumor or vitamin deficiency) can mimic symptoms of depression so it is important to rule out general medical causes.
Getting a depression diagnosis is a big step in dealing with the illness. Up to that point you may have tried to ignore the symptoms or hoped they'd go away. By trying to find out more, you've taken action and broken the paralysis that often keeps people from getting effective treatment.
There's no lab test that can diagnose depression. But your provider may order blood tests to find out if another health condition, such as anemia or thyroid disease, may be causing depression.
In order to get a prescription for antidepressants, a medical health professional needs to make a diagnosis that you have depression and that antidepressants can help treat its symptoms.
Scores of 0-4 are considered normal, depending on age, education, and complaints; 5-8 indicate mild depression; 9-11 indicate moderate depression; and 12-15 indicate severe depression.
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is the most widely used self-rating scale, developed in 1961 by Aaron Beck based on symptoms he observed to be common among depressed patients. The BDI consists of 21 items of emotional, behavioral, and somatic symptoms that takes 5–10 minutes to administer.
Scoring between 5-9 points indicates mild depression, 10-14 points indicates moderate depression, 15-19 points indicates moderately severe depression, and 20 or more points indicates severe depression. The higher your score, the more symptoms of depression you experience, and the more severe your depression is.
Bipolar disorder
During a depressed period, you may feel sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. But then it will switch to a period of mania, when you feel euphoric, energetic, or irritable. Those are not symptoms of clinical depression.
In fact, misdiagnosis of depression is a leading cause of mental health crises. One study found that out of every 100 people diagnosed with depression by their physician, only about four actually had depression following re-evaluation by a psychiatrist.
Some have suffered bouts of depression, others have not. Some have had more than their share of adverse life events, while others have had an easier time of it.
Untreated depression increases the chance of risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol addiction. It also can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, and make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses. Clinical depression, also known as major depression, is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts.
Most antidepressants boost mood and reduce depression symptoms by elevating serotonin levels in the brain. Although this is beneficial for someone who's depressed, for someone who does not have depression, taking antidepressant medication can cause serotonin to build up in the body, resulting in serotonin syndrome.
Only your doctor can tell you whether you need antidepressants. They will base their decision on years of medical study and experience, and should be able to give you the best possible advice for your mental health.
For people with chronic or severe depression, medication may be needed on a long-term basis. In these cases, antidepressants are often taken indefinitely. That is, in part, because depression is not an illness that can be cured.