Identify the differences between major depression and dysthymia.?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

ANSWER:
?A diagnosis of major depressive disorder requires that a person experience either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in one’s usual activities plus at least four other symptoms of depression for a period of at least two weeks. These symptoms must be severe enough that they interfere with the person’s ability to function but not be due to a general medical condition or the effects of a substance (drug abuse or medication).
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Persistent depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder is a less severe but more chronic form of major depressive disorder. The person seems sad and downcast over a longer time. A diagnosis of persistent depressive disorder requires the symptom of depressed mood plus at least two other symptoms of depression for a period of at least 2 years (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Persistent depressive disorder generally begins in childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood. Typically, the symptoms of persistent depressive disorder are not severe enough to require hospitalization. However, most people with persistent depressive disorder eventually experience a major depressive episode (Klein, Lewinsohn, & Seeley, 2001; Klein, Shankman, & Rose, 2006).