How do I determine the severity of depression?

Your physician or psychologist distinguishes episodes of major depressive disorder in mild, moderate or severe depression. This distinction is important, because the choice of treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms. For the determination of the severity of the depressive episode the physician or psychologist asses the main symptoms and secondary symptoms of depression:


Main symptoms of depression

There are three main symptoms of depression:


Secondary symptoms

The seven secondary symptoms of depression include:


Severity of depression

For the determination of the severity of the depressive episode there is assessed how many main symptoms and secondary symptoms have occurred over a period of more than two weeks.


Dr. Sandra Elze & Dr. Michael Elze