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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 May 21.
Published in final edited form as: J Gerontol Nurs. 2015 Feb;41(2):18–25. doi: 10.3928/00989134-20150115-99

Table 2.

Depressive Disorders and Syndromes

Major depressive disorder (MDD) Hallmark symptoms: 1) Depressed mood (sad, low, blue); 2) Loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities that are usually enjoyed (anhedonia)
Additional symptoms: Significant weight loss/gain; insomnia/hypersomnia; psychomotor agitation/retardation; fatigue (loss of energy); feelings of worthlessness or guilt; impaired concentration (indecisiveness); recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Level/duration: One or more hallmark symptoms plus four additional symptoms for a total of five that occur nearly everyday for at least 2 weeks
Minor depression Level/duration: One or more hallmark symptoms plus three to four additional symptoms (not five) over 2 weeks; also described as subsyndromal or subclinical in the literature
Risks: More common than MDD; highly associated with physical disability, increased health costs, and risk of developing MDD
Clinically significant depression Level/duration: A cluster of depressive symptoms that causes sufficient distress and impairment to be a focus of clinical care
Risk: More common than MDD; highly associated with functional decline and onset of MDD
Persistent depressive disorder (Dysthmia) Symptoms: Depressed mood and associated symptoms including: poor appetite or overeating; insomnia or hypersomnia; low energy or fatigue; low self-esteem; poor concentration or difficulty making decisions; feelings of hopelessness
Level/duration: Symptoms occur for more days than not for at least two years