This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Atypical depressive episode

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

An atypical depressive episode is a mood disorder in which some of the characteristic changes of typical depression are reversed.

Notable features of an atypical depressive episode include:

  • weight gain
  • increased appetite with carbohydrate craving
  • hypersomnia
  • reversed diurnal mood variation, being worse in the evening
  • in comparison with major depressive disorder without atypical features, patients with atypical features are more often female, have a younger age of onset and a more severe degree of psychomotor slowing

Note also that :

  • coexisting diagnoses of panic disorder, substance abuse and somatisation disorder are also common
  • atypical depression should be treated with an SSRI
  • referral to mental health specialists should be considered for patients with atypical depression and significant functional impairment who have not responded to an SSRI

For more detailed guidance then refer to full NICE guideline (1).

Reference:

  1. NICE (December 2004). Management of depression in primary and secondary care.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.