A person suffering from major depressive disorder is in a depressed mood for most of the day, nearly every day or has lost interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities, for a period of at least two weeks. It is not necessary for the person to report feeling depressed to be diagnosed with major depression- the presence of depressed mood can be implied from observing the person's behavior. Similarly, they may not complain of a loss of interest or pleasure. Single Episode Single episode depression is like major depression only it strikes in one dramatic episode. Recurrent Recurrent depression is an extended pattern of depressed episodes.
Depressed episodes can include any of the features of major depressive disorder.
Treatment Mood disorders respond to two major forms of treatment, biogenic and psychotheraputic . The best approach is usually a combination of the two. 1 Biogenic Treatment Two major types of drugs, tricyclics and MAO inhibitors are used in treatment of moderate to severe disorders. In unusually severe cases where drugs have been unsuccessful, electroconvulsive therapy may even be tried. The treatment of choice for bipolar disorders is lithium carbonate . There are many types of psychotherapy that can be used to treat sufferers of depression.