Major depressive episode: Treatment

Estimates of the numbers of people suffering from major depressive episodes and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) vary significantly. Between 10% and 25% of women and between 5% and 12% of men will suffer a major depressive episode. Fewer people, between 5% and 9% of women and between 2% and 3% of men will have MDD, or full-blown depression.

Major depressive episode: Diagnostic caveats

In diagnosing the symptoms, the Psychiatrist or Psychologist must take the following into account:

* These symptoms must cause clinically important distress, or impair work, social or personal functioning, and they should not fulfil the criteria for Mixed Episode.

Major depressive episode:

In order to be diagnosed as suffering from a major depressive episode, the patient must meet the following criteria:

Over a two week period, the patient has consistently experienced five or more of the following symptoms, and these behaviours must be outside the parameters of the patient’s normal behaviour. Either depressed mood or decreased interest or pleasure must be one of the five (although both are frequently concomitant).

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