Clin Med
-
As emotional distress is often seen as an understandable reaction to a severe or life-threatening illness, clinicians are reluctant to make a diagnosis of depression and resort to alternative diagnoses such as adjustment disorder (AD) or demoralisation. This paper introduces these concepts and critically examines their clinical utility. ⋯ Instead, a working diagnosis of a general distress syndrome complemented by a personalised formulation is advocated. This would lead to the generation of a problem list and a pragmatic management plan.