Lets Fight Depression

The least specific of all categories that can be diagnosed according to the DSM standards when it comes to depression is to be classified under Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified which is sometimes called Depressive Disorder NOS.  This covers a wide range of causes of depression.

Although Kris has not attended one himself, he has heard of psychiatrists who prefer to diagnose their patients with Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified so that it is easier to justify alternative treatments.

Why is Depressive Disorder NOS diagnosed?

Because it is so unspecific, there may be a variety of reasons that this is diagnosed.  Especially for minor depression disorder, postpartum depression, and substance induced depression, the psychiatrist may not want to divulge personal information to the insurance company.  This may also be a proper diagnosis for cases of unexplained depression where the onset has occurred without any real explanation.  Depressive Disorder NOS may also be appropriate when depression occurs due to a traumatic experience.  This diagnosis is also applicable in certain situations where a patient is seeing a new psychiatrist or is first diagnosed with depression.  This gives the psychiatrist time to monitor the patient to ensure that they do not have some other disorder such as bipolar disorder.  Although a patient may be depressed, it could just be a symptom of a different and potentially even more serious disorder.

Kris recommends that you check out the causes of depression page for more information on each of these more specific forms of depression.

What is the Significance of Depressive Disorder NOS?

Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified can be just a serious as Major Depressive Disorder if not even more so.  The psychiatrist may just be unwilling to classify the depression as major depression because major depression generally comes with the diagnosis that this is a chronic disease.  This also may be the case in situations where a doctor may be investigating the patient for another disorder.

Kris recommends that you talk to your doctor about the diagnosis of Depressive Disorder NOS.  There may be a very valid reason that the psychiatrist is assigning this category to your disease.

Will Depressive Disorder NOS Ever Be Broken Into More Specific Categories?

There is a high probability that some of the more specific disorders categorized under depressive disorder not otherwise specified may actually be broken out into their own categories in the future.  With the increased discussion of specific types of depression such as minor and postpartum depression, the DSM-V or one of the future additions to the DSM may change people’s diagnosis.  This should actually be a good thing for many patients as it gives a good indication that depression may be occurring due to a life event rather than a permanent chemical imbalance in the brain.

After Kris’s research into this category, he believes that Depressive Disorder NOS is far too unspecific only serving to confuse the general psychiatric community.  He is hoping that some of these depressive disorders will be broken out into specific categories in the near future.The least specific of all categories that can be diagnosed according to the DSM standards when it comes to depression is to be classified under Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified which is sometimes called Depressive Disorder NOS.  This covers a wide range of causes off depression.

Although Kris has not attended one himself, he has heard of psychiatrists who prefer to diagnose their patients with Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified so that it is easier to justify alternative treatments.

Why is Depressive Disorder NOS diagnosed?

Because it is so unspecific, there may be a variety of reasons that this is diagnosed.  Especially for minor depression disorder, postpartum depression, and substance induced depression, the psychiatrist may not want to divulge personal information to the insurance company.  This may also be a proper diagnosis for cases of unexplained depression where the onset has occurred without any real explanation.  Depressive Disorder NOS may also be appropriate when depression occurs due to a traumatic experience.  This diagnosis is also applicable in certain situations where a patient is seeing a new psychiatrist or is first diagnosed with depression.  This gives the psychiatrist time to monitor the patient to ensure that they do not have some other disorder such as bipolar disorder.  Although a patient may be depressed, it could just be a symptom of a different and potentially even more serious disorder.

Kris recommends that you check out the causes of depression page for more information on each of these more specific forms of depression.

What is the Significance of Depressive Disorder NOS?

Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified can be just a serious as Major Depressive Disorder if not even more so.  The psychiatrist may just be unwilling to classify the depression as major depression because major depression generally comes with the diagnosis that this is a chronic disease.  This also may be the case in situations where a doctor may be investigating the patient for another disorder.

Kris recommends that you talk to your doctor about the diagnosis of Depressive Disorder NOS.  There may be a very valid reason that the psychiatrist is assigning this category to your disease.

Will Depressive Disorder NOS Ever Be Broken Into More Specific Categories?

There is a high probability that some of the more specific disorders categorized under depressive disorder not otherwise specified may actually be broken out into their own categories in the future.  With the increased discussion of specific types of depression such as minor and postpartum depression, the DSM V or one of the future additions to the DSM may change people’s diagnosis.  This should actually be a good thing for many patients as it gives a good indication that depression may be occurring due to a life event rather than a permanent chemical imbalance in the brain.

After Kris’s research into this category, he believes that Depressive Disorder NOS is far too unspecific only serving to confuse the general psychiatric community.  He is hoping that some of these depressive disorders will be broken out into specific categories in the near future.