| Diagnostic criteria | Description |
| A | Five or more of the symptoms listed below have to be present during the same 14-day period implying a change from previous functioning, at least one of them being either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure (Caveat: it is not allowed to include symptoms that can be clearly attributed to other medical conditions): Depressed mood most of the day and nearly every day Markedly diminished pleasure or interest in (almost) all activities most of the day and nearly every day Significant loss of weight (when not dieting) or gain of weight, or decreased or increased appetite nearly every day In- or hypersomnia nearly every day Psychomotor retardation or agitation nearly every day Loss of energy or fatigue nearly every day Feelings to be worthless or inappropriate or excessive guilt nearly every day Diminished ability to concentrate or think, or indecisiveness, nearly every day Recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal ideation without specific plans to commit suicide, or an attempted suicide, or a specific plan for committing suicide |
| B | Symptoms lead to clinically relevant distress or impairment regarding occupational, social, or other important areas of functioning |
| C | The episode cannot be attributed to the physiological effects of a drug or other medical conditions |
| D | The presence of the major depressive episode cannot be better explained by schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder, or other schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders |
| E | A manic or hypomanic episode has never been present |
#: Summary of the diagonostic criteria according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edn [4].