Depression Criteria

Because I am talking about Esertia, an effective and relatively new antidepressant here, I might as well get started talking about the depression criteria. It doesn’t make sense talking about Esertia, the drug without talking about the disease.

According to the newest criteria (DSM IV-TR), in my own words:

An episode of major depression is,

If for a period of two weeks,you suffer from:

a) EITHER depressed mood OR Loss of interest in activities that you normally like

AND

b) 4 symptoms out of the following symptoms:

• Loss/gain need for sleep
• Loss/gain weight or appetite
• More easily agitated or showing slowed responses
• Loss of energy
• Loss of ability to concentrate or make decisions
• Loss of self worth or feeling excessively guilty about certain things
• Suicidal

AND

It causes significant distress, social or occupational impairment or other problems in functioning.

Apart from the above criteria, you will also (or rather, your doctor will also) need to exclude certain things:

a) You do not have any medical condition which could possibly explain all these

b) You are not under the influence of drugs which could cause these (you will be surprised how many drugs can cause these symptoms)

c) These symptoms are not due to death of a close relative/friend.

For more information on the criteria, please refer to: http://www.mental-health-today.com/dep/dsm.htm

I will elaborate more on how to differentiate between bereavement and depression next time. In the meantime, if you have these symptoms, it makes A LOT of sense to see a psychiatrist. He will most probably prescribe Esertia or some other drugs for you.

Remember, Esertia is not a total cure, you still have to tackle the root problems but Esertia definitely helps most people to take the first step towards cure.

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