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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Heart Fail Clin. 2011 Jan;7(1):127–141. doi: 10.1016/j.hfc.2010.10.001

Table 1. DSM-IV-TR criteria for a major depressive episode.

At least 5 of the following symptoms have been present most of the day, nearly every day, 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:

  1. Depressed mood

  2. Loss of interest or pleasure

  3. Weight loss or changes in appetite

  4. Insomnia or hypersomnia

  5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation

  6. Fatigue

  7. Feelings of worthlessness or guilt

  8. Decreased ability to concentrate

  9. Thoughts of death, suicidal ideation, or suicide attempt.


  • The symptoms must cause significant impairment in functioning (i.e., work, social)

  • The symptoms must not be directly due to a medical condition (i.e., hypothyroidism) or a medication

  • The episode is not better accounted for by a different diagnosis such as bereavement, bipolar disorder, or schizoaffective disorder

Data from Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR). 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.