Epidemiologic Evidence Concerning the Bereavement Exclusion in Major Depression

There has been considerable debate over the validity of the bereavement exclusion in the diagnosis of major depressive episode (MDE) and much controversy about whether the bereavement exclusion should be maintained in DSM-5. Mojtabai investigated the issue using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions and concluded that the bereavement exclusion should be maintained in DSM-5.¹ We analyzed the same data and came to a different conclusion.² Herein, we discuss why we think our 2 studies arrived at different conclusions and their implications for revising the diagnostic criteria.