depression (psychiatry)

A mental condition or state in which there are feelings of low mood, despondence, self-criticism, and low esteem. It may be associated with a change (up or down) in appetite for sleep, food, or sex. The term has been used in a variety of ways: in lay use, it may mean little more than common sadness; in psychiatric use, it may refer to specific conditions, such as melancholia or manic-depressive illness, or be a factor in a wide range of disorders. It can be measured by a variety of rating scales, and there are certain biological markers thought to distinguish between depressed and non-depressed individuals. There is a wide variety of treatments that can be used for this condition, including behavioural and psychoanalytic forms of psychotherapy, pharmacological treatments and, in certain situations, electroconvulsive therapy.

Depression may refer to:

Clinical depression, a medical condition identified by clusters of symptoms such as markedly-decreased mood, motivation, interest, energy levels, etc (also known as "severe depression disorder" or "major depression disorder"). Depression (mood), an everyday term for a sad or low mood or the loss of pleasure. Depression (geology), a sunken geological formation. Depression (economics), a longer-lasting and more severe economic downturn than a recession. The Great Depression, a severe economic recession in the 1930s. Depression (meteorology), an area of low atmospheric pressure associated with cyclones and weather fronts. Depression (physiology), a lowering, in particular a reduction in a particular biological variable or the function of an organ, contrasted to elevation.