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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Collective climate action even minimized symptoms of major depressive disorder that were linked to climate anxiety.
—Brooke Kasl-Godley, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
The psychiatric disorders most commonly linked to the environment of the placenta are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.
—Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025
Evidence suggests that SSRIs are effective in treating anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder in children, according to a 2019 study from Yale University.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2025
Electronic health records maintained by the UK National Health Service (NHS) were used to identify current adult patients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD).
—New Atlas, 24 Mar. 2025
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Brooke Kasl-Godley, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
The psychiatric disorders most commonly linked to the environment of the placenta are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.
—Stephanie Edwards, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2025
Evidence suggests that SSRIs are effective in treating anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder in children, according to a 2019 study from Yale University.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2025
Electronic health records maintained by the UK National Health Service (NHS) were used to identify current adult patients with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD).
—New Atlas, 24 Mar. 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 5 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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