Question

According to the DSM-5, for a person to be diagnosed with a major depressive disorder, what must occur?

Answer 1

Major depressive disorder or clinical depression refers to a common and serious mood disorder associated with persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness causing loss of interest in activities they once enjoyed. Apart from emotional symptoms, individuals can also experience physical symptoms such as chronic pain or digestive issues. According to the DSM-5, for a person to be diagnosed with a major depressive disorder, the individual must experience five or more symptoms such as significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day, sluggishness of thought process, and a reduction of physical movement as observed by others, feeling of fatigue, worthlessness, lack of focus or indecisiveness nearly every day, and recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal thought or a suicide attempt during the same 2-week period and at least one of the symptoms should be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.

To receive a clinical diagnosis of depression, the person must face significant distress in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning and the symptoms must also not be associated with substance abuse or another medical condition.