Persistent depressive disorder diagnosis

In order to diagnose^[12] persistent depressive disorder, your healthcare provider will likely use a few different exams and tests:

• A physical exam: Your provider will ask about your overall health and may conduct testing—such as blood and urine tests—to rule out other health conditions that could be causing your given symptoms. If these tests don’t indicate the presence of an underlying health condition, it may indicate that a mental disorder is the cause of your symptoms.
• Mental health evaluation: Your provider will ask about your thoughts, feelings, and symptoms and may administer a psychological screening questionnaire. It is crucial to be fully honest and forthright with your provider when they ask you these questions, as this will help them make the most informed diagnosis.

Your provider may also refer you to a mental health specialist, such as a psychiatrist. A specialist will likely use the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association) to determine whether you meet the criteria set for a diagnosis of persistent depressive disorder. Some of the criteria^[13] needed for adults to be diagnosed with this disorder include a depressed mood (more often than not on most days) for at least two years, feelings of hopelessness, low energy, fatigue, and low self-esteem For children or teens to be diagnosed with PDD, they must exhibit depressed behavior or irritability (a more common indicator of the condition in children than in adults) for most of the day^[14], every day, for at least one year.

Major depressive disorder vs. persistent depressive disorder

While persistent depressive disorder and major depressive disorder sound similar, there are a few key differences between the conditions. People with major depressive disorder^[15], or major depression, have a fairly normal baseline mood but experience intermittent depressive episodes. These episodes may last for months and vary in intensity from mild to severe. PDD, on the other hand, is a chronic condition—it is ongoing and lasts for a longer period of time. This means that people with the disorder feel depressed more often than not. Because of this, the criteria for diagnosing major depression state that symptoms must be present for at least two weeks, while those for PDD require symptoms to have been ongoing for at least two years. That being said, there is considerable overlap between the symptoms of major depression and PDD. The difference between the two disorders’ symptoms lies in their severity and duration.