3 ms·
Clinical depression is diagnosed when 1) its ongoing over 6 months or more and 2) it's having a detrimental effect on your life or the lives of those around you
by 6nf 6y ago
Clinical depression is diagnosed when 1) its ongoing over 6 months or more and 2) it's having a detrimental effect on your life or the lives of those around you
Roughly speaking of course
- logfish 6y agoYou are correct for point 2, but as far as 1 goes: major depressive disorder (what most people mean when they say "clinical depression") requires only two weeks of anhedonia/decreased mood plus a few more symptoms to be diagnosed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t5/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519712/table/ch3.t5/. Which is interesting, because a significant number of mental health conditions do require 6 months of ongoing symptoms e.g. generalized anxiety disorder and schizophrenia. First line treatment is cognitive behavioral therapy and an SSRI.
- kzrdude 6y agoCool. I had some annoying friends ask me if when I was referring to a depressed period, I was clinically depressed. (It sounded so dismissive to me, to ask if it was clinically or not.) Never really knew what it would mean (to be open about it, it affected me for years.. and I consider it over nowadays :).