major depressive disorder
noun
: a serious mood disorder involving one or more episodes of intense psychological depression or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two or more weeks and is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal tendencies : clinical depression, major depression
About 18 million Americans are diagnosed with a major depressive disorder each year.—
David Schwab
David SchwabThe most serious form of depression is major depressive disorder, characterized by depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, changes in appetite, increased or decreased sleep, increased or decreased motor activity, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty concentrating and, for some people, recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.—Sandi Lloyd
—abbreviation MDD
Sandi LloydExamples of major depressive disorder in a Sentence
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The findings also revealed that more than 6.1 million children lived with a parent facing both SUD and a mental illness, such as major depressive disorder or serious psychological distress.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
In one small study, rhodiola at doses of 0.3 or 0.6 grams (g) per day over 12 weeks was found to improve symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder when combined with Zoloft (sertraline), a medication used to treat depression.
—Brittany Lubeck, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 25 Apr. 2025
The expected lifetime treatment rates also varied across disorders, from 25% for alcohol use disorder to 94% for major depressive disorder.
—New Atlas, 18 Feb. 2025
Collective climate action even minimized symptoms of major depressive disorder that were linked to climate anxiety.
—Brooke Kasl-Godley, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
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Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
In one small study, rhodiola at doses of 0.3 or 0.6 grams (g) per day over 12 weeks was found to improve symptoms in adults with major depressive disorder when combined with Zoloft (sertraline), a medication used to treat depression.
—Brittany Lubeck, Ms, Rdn, Verywell Health, 25 Apr. 2025
The expected lifetime treatment rates also varied across disorders, from 25% for alcohol use disorder to 94% for major depressive disorder.
—New Atlas, 18 Feb. 2025
Collective climate action even minimized symptoms of major depressive disorder that were linked to climate anxiety.
—Brooke Kasl-Godley, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for major depressive disorder
Cite this Entry
“Major depressive disorder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/major%20depressive%20disorder. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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major depressive disorder
noun
: a serious mood disorder involving one or more episodes of intense psychological depression or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two or more weeks and is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal tendencies : clinical depression, major depression
The diagnosis of both major depressive disorder and subsyndromal symptoms is complicated by difficulties that elderly patients may have in recognizing or describing depressive symptoms.—Lawrence M. Martin et al., The John Hopkins White Papers
—abbreviation MDD
Lawrence M. Martin et al., The John Hopkins White PapersLove words? Need even more definitions?
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