Debbie has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, recurrent. She wants to know what to expect in the future regarding her condition. You tell her that according to recent research (Angst 1998, Angst and Preizig, 1996), the median lifetime number of major depressive episodes is:

four

Explanation:

The essential characteristic of a major depressive episode is a period of at least 2 weeks during which there is a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. In children and adolescents, mood can be irritable rather than sad. The subject must also experience at least four other symptoms from a list that includes changes in appetite or weight, sleep and psychomotor activity, lack of energy, feelings of underestimation or guilt, difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions. To indicate the existence of a major depressive episode, a symptom must be new or have clearly worsened when compared to the condition of the subject before the episode