Diagnostic criteria for mood (affective) disorders — FAQ

No. While sadness is a normal human emotion, major depressive disorder is a clinical illness with a specific cluster of affective, cognitive, behavioural, and somatic symptoms. Key differentiators are the duration (at least two weeks), the presence of multiple symptoms like anhedonia and fatigue, and the significant impairment it causes in daily functioning. Unlike sadness, clinical depression does not typically resolve on its own and often requires professional treatment.

Yes. The DSM-5 criteria for Major Depressive Disorder require a person to have five or more of the nine symptoms. This means there are many different combinations of symptoms that can lead to a diagnosis. The system is designed to account for the fact that depression manifests differently in different people. As long as the 'five of nine' rule is met (including one core symptom) for at least two weeks and it causes significant impairment, a diagnosis can be made.

The term 'depressed' is often used colloquially to mean feeling sad or 'down'. However, in a clinical context, Major Depressive Disorder is a formal diagnosis based on specific criteria from systems like the DSM-5. The diagnosis requires a persistent duration of symptoms (at least two weeks), a minimum number of symptoms (five or more), and evidence that these symptoms cause 'clinically significant distress or impairment'. Simply feeling 'depressed' for a day or two after a negative event does not meet the threshold for a clinical diagnosis.