Depression

  

What is depression?

Depression is a condition that’s often misunderstood. People sometimes use phrases similar to ‘I’m so depressed right now’ when they’re feeling sad about something. And, of course, we all have days where we’re feeling a little down, unhappy or fed up. However, neither of these situations accurately describes depression. It’s a medical condition with a range of different symptoms. 

Depression is a mood disorder that affects the way you feel, think, and act for prolonged periods. It can make a person feel disconnected, lose their interest in the things they love, and impact the way they function at work or home.

A brief history

Despite what some people may claim, depression has been around for many years. Although it’s only relatively recently that we’ve understood it, the condition has appeared throughout human history. 

The history of depression has its roots as far back as the second millennium BCE. The ancient Mesopotamians believed it was a spiritual condition caused by demons. The ancient Romans and Greeks called the illness ‘melancholia’, a name that would stick around for many generations. They blamed it on an imbalance within the bodily fluids (known at the time as humours). 

Treatments in ancient times varied from the barbaric to the more practical, such as diet, exercise, and therapeutic methods. Sadly, by the Middle Ages, the condition was once again placed in the realm of the spiritual. As with many mental illnesses, demons, witches, and devils were blamed, and exorcisms, burnings, and drownings were administered. 

The 18th and 19th centuries often weren’t much better. Depression and those who suffered from it were treated as something that should be shunned and isolated from society. It was only towards the latter part of the 1800s that attitude softened, and science started to find answers. 

Through the 1900s, psychology and medicine rapidly changed our understanding of depression. Thoughts, behaviours, and biological factors were all attributed to the illness. Our definitions and treatments changed too, and we now have a better understanding of and approach to depression than ever before.