DSM-IV-TR® Handbook of Differential Diagnosis Chapter 2. Differential Diagnosis by the Trees > Trees Based on Presenting Symptoms > Decision Tree for Depressed Mood Topics Discussed: depressed mood. Excerpt: "See Decision Tree. Depressed or dysphoric mood is one of the most common presenting symptoms in mental health settings and is a component of many psychiatric conditions. It is important to consider the context in which the depression occurs and the clustering and duration of symptoms. One of the most difficult differential diagnostic determinations in psychiatry is to distinguish between primary mood disorders and those that are the direct physiological consequences of a general medical condition. A very large number of general medical conditions are known to cause depression through their direct effect on the brain. If severe cognitive impairment is also present, Dementia along with a Mood Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition must be considered. However, it is important not to assume that the severity of the cognitive impairment necessarily indicates a diagnosis of Dementia. The cognitive impairment that occurs as part of a Major Depressive Episode can be so severe as to mimic a dementia. Often, only time, serial evaluations, and sequential treatment trials will confirm whether a..." DOI: 10.1176/appi.books.9781585622658.119073 The content above is only an excerpt. For full access subscribe now or log into your account below. You can also purchase 24- or 48-hour access; learn more Username: Password:     Athens Login FORGOT your subscriber username and/or password? Get a reminder via email: The email I registered with is:  Not a subscriber? Subscribe Today PsychiatryOnline is a powerful website that features DSM-IV-TR® and The American Journal of Psychiatry as the cornerstones of an unsurpassed collection of psychiatric references, including books, journals, and self-assessment tools. PsychiatryOnline’s innovative platform makes these resources easy and convenient to use, offering Precise and powerful searching across books and journals. Quick pathways to related material. Mobile access from any computer with a Web connection. Ability to download any book section to PDA. Links from bibliographic references to the full text of journal articles. References to material not located in the PsychiatryOnline collection lead you to PubMed. Learn more about PsychiatryOnline Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing PsychiatryOnline@psych.org or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).