Major Depression: Category and symptoms

The category of Major Depression represents a superordinate class. Hence, within major depression are a number of sub-classifications.

Cases can be described as:
a. In partial or complete
b. Mild, moderate or severe
c. With melancholia (the American equivalent to endogenous)
d. With psychotic features

Psychotic features may be subdivided into mood congruent psychotic (e.g., delusions of guilt, poverty, disease) and mood incongruent psychotic features (e.g., persecutory, thought insertion).

There is a list of nine possible symptoms of which the patient should have at least five.

1. Depressed mood (or can be irritable mood in children and adolescents) most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by subjective account or observation by others

2. Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either account or observation by other of apathy most of the time.)

3. Significant weight loss or weight gain when not dieting (e.g., more than 5% of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day (in children, consider failure to make expected weight gains)

4. Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day

5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly very day (observable by other, not merely subjective feelings of restless or being slowed down)

6. Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day

7. Feelings or worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self-reproach or guilt about being sick)

8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others)

9. Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide
Major Depression: Category and symptoms