major depressive episode

episode /ep·i·sode/ (ep´ĭ-sōd) a noteworthy happening occurring in the course of a continuous series of events.

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hypomanic episode  a period of elevated, expansive, or irritable mood resembling a manic episode but less severe.

major depressive episode  a period marked by depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in virtually all activities, associated with some combination of: altered weight, appetite, or sleep patterns, psychomotor agitation or retardation, difficulty in thinking or concentration, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness, and thoughts of death and suicide.

manic episode  a period of predominant mood elevation, expansiveness, or irritation together with some combination of inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need of sleep, talkativeness, flight of ideas, distractibility, hyperactivity, hypersexuality, and recklessness.

mixed episode  a period during which the symptoms of both a major depressive episode and of a manic episode occur nearly every day, with rapidly alternating moods.

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major depressive episode

Psychiatry A condition defined as '…a period of at least 2 wks, during which there is either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities…(and) …experience at least 4 additional symptoms (including) … changes in appetitite or weight, sleep, and psychomotor activity; decreased energy; feelings of worthlessness or guilt; difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions; or recurrent thoughts of death, or suicidal ideation, plans, or attempts.'. See Major depression.