Lets Fight Depression

Minor depressive disorder is quite a bit different than major depressive disorder as the symptoms are not experienced over nearly as long of a period as they would be with major depressive disorder.  In addition, minor depressive disorder is not something that psychiatrists will diagnose a patient with considering that there is no psychological classification in the DSM-IV for minor depression.  As a note, if you are thinking about committing suicide then you have symptoms of major depression and the entire category of minor depression is not referring to you.  Anyone thinking about committing suicide should call 911, the suicide hotline, or contact their doctor immediately.

Kris is a supporter of adding a classification of minor depressive disorder to the DSM because of how easy it is to shrug off minor depressive episodes as being moody.  The symptoms of minor depression are real and can significantly decrease a person’s quality of life.

The Good News About Minor Depression

Unlike major depression, you might be able to get off of antidepressants at some point if you only have symptoms of minor depression.  Whereas major depression is classified by a chemical imbalance in the brain that is only balanced out through treatments that must continue over time, minor depression may be purely psychological which you can recover from.  Of course this can only be determined by your doctor, but they may have psychotherapy and other treatments without the use of prescription drugs that can help treat minor depression.  Minor depression may only be a one time occurrence in your life or could be a recurring problem.  It will still be important to monitor your symptoms over the rest of your life to ensure that your minor depression does not return.  Often the best judge of whether you are experiencing the symptoms of minor depression is by having your mental health evaluated by a friend on a day to day or week to week basis.  This should be someone that you are comfortable with such as a friend, spouse, or family member.

Although minor depression is less severe than major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder, minor depressive experiences can certainly lead to major depression and even suicide.  It’s much better to catch this disease before it spreads into a major problem.

Minor Depressive Disorder as NOS

Because minor depressive disorder is not something that can be diagnosed according to the DSM-IV,psychiatrists may classify patients with mild depression as Major Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.  This is especially true when it comes to filing insurance claims because an insurance company must have a specific diagnosis before they are willing to shell out cash to pay for these drugs.  Understanding your diagnoses is important to determine the level of treatment needed as Not Otherwise Specified is such a broad category.  Make sure you understand whether this classification dictates that you are going to be required to take these prescription drugs for the rest of your life because or whether this is a temporary solution to help get you back on your feet while you are fighting minor depression symptoms.

Kris takes some incredibly expensive medication.  If you think that you may not be able to afford insurance at some point, then it is important that you speak with a doctor about getting generic prescription drugs rather than expensive treatment options.

Simple things like a change in diet can bring on another onset of minor depression so it is important that you maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent the re-occurrence of minor depressive disorder.  Also, you might have better luck with the alternative treatments for depression than a person with major depression.  Again, this should be something you should decide between you and your doctor because this author and website are not qualified to give medical advice.

Kris recommends the symptoms of depression section for more information on the differences between minor depression and major depression.