Most people do not know exactly what depression is, so I wanted to give you the exact criteria therapists use (this comes straight out of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association) to diagnose depression. The following is the list of symptoms you’d have to have in order to be diagnosed as depressed. This is not meant to replace assessment by a licensed and competent clinician, but only as a reference point.

-Megan Johntz, M.S., L.P.C.

MAJOR  DEPRESSIVE  EPISODE

From the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV, published by the American Psychiatric Association, the following criteria must be present in order to warrant a diagnosis of Major Depression.

1) Five or more of the following symptoms have been present during the same 2-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.

• depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day.

• markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all activities most of the day, nearly every day.

• significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.

• insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.

• psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day.

• fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.

• feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.

• diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.

• recurrent thoughts of death, recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.

2) These symptoms do not meet criteria for a mixed episode.

3) The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

4) The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance, or a general medical condition.

5) The symptoms are not better accounted for by bereavement, i.e., after the loss of a loved one, the symptoms persist for longer than 2 months or are characterized by marked functional impairment, morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, suicidal ideation, psychotic symptoms, or psychomotor retardation.

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