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Major depressive disorder is diagnosed when a person has five or more symptoms during the same two‑week period, representing a change from how they functioned before, and those symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment. At least one of the symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure. The two‑week window is essential, and reaching five symptoms within that span indicates a major depressive episode. Symptoms can be present on most days, but the key is the two‑week timeframe and the threshold of five or more symptoms, not necessarily that they occur every single day. The other statements miss the required combination of timing and symptom count.