Mood disorders: double depression: practice question

A Psychiatry question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Psychiatry · Mood disorders: double depression

Sample item

A 38-year-old woman reports low mood on most days for four years, never free of it for more than two months. Over the last three weeks she has developed severe insomnia, worthlessness, anorexia and suicidal thoughts. What is the best descriptive term?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. Double depression

Double depression is a major depressive episode superimposed on a chronic, lower-grade depression of at least two years (dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder). Patients recover to their dysthymic baseline and not to normal, and the course is generally worse than either condition alone.

Option by option

  • A. Double depression (correct)

    Correct. A major episode on top of a chronic low mood of years is double depression.

  • B. Cyclothymia

    Cyclothymia requires numerous hypomanic and depressive periods, with no hypomania described here.

  • C. Bipolar II disorder

    Bipolar II requires a past hypomanic episode, which is not described.

  • D. Adjustment disorder with depressed mood

    Adjustment disorder needs a stressor and does not account for the four-year chronic course.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Psychiatry question

What is the answer to this Psychiatry question?

The best answer is A, Double depression. Double depression is a major depressive episode superimposed on a chronic, lower-grade depression of at least two years (dysthymia or persistent depressive disorder).

Why is "Cyclothymia" not the answer?

Cyclothymia requires numerous hypomanic and depressive periods, with no hypomania described here.

Why is "Bipolar II disorder" not the answer?

Bipolar II requires a past hypomanic episode, which is not described.

Why is "Adjustment disorder with depressed mood" not the answer?

Adjustment disorder needs a stressor and does not account for the four-year chronic course.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Mood disorders: double depression in Psychiatry. Patients recover to their dysthymic baseline and not to normal, and the course is generally worse than either condition alone.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Mood disorders: double depression?

Learn each diagnosis by its core features and its first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other Psychiatry questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.