Psychiatric specifier

Mild severity

Symptoms meet the disorder threshold with limited excess symptoms, distress, and functional impairment.

Severity and remission

Mood disordersOther specified diagnoses

At a glance

Applies to: Mood disorders · Other specified diagnoses
Deciding signal: Severity describes the whole episode: symptom burden, intensity, risk, and functional impact.
Ask this: Is the current episode genuinely lower in burden and impairment while still meeting the diagnostic threshold?
Wording outcome: Major depressive disorder, single episode, mild

Risk, psychosis, catatonia, marked impairment, or severe biological disturbance indicates a higher severity level.
The person is below diagnostic threshold, in which case remission or another formulation may be more accurate.

Fit and exclusions

Start with the deciding signal, then test chronology, competing explanations, and the effect on diagnostic wording.

Match treatment intensity to need while avoiding minimisation of meaningful distress or risk.

Major depressive disorder, single episode, mild

At a glance

Applies to

Mood disorders · Other specified diagnoses

Deciding signal

Severity describes the whole episode: symptom burden, intensity, risk, and functional impact.

Ask this

Is the current episode genuinely lower in burden and impairment while still meeting the diagnostic threshold?

Wording outcome

Major depressive disorder, single episode, mild