Depression: A Review of its Definition

Abstract

The current paper has the purpose of reviewing the meaning of depression from a psychological perspective. An analysis of its definition as a symptom, as a syndrome and as a disease is undertaken, along a differentiation of associated concepts such as sadness and melancholy. Some questionings are discussed and a final definition integrating all explicative perspectives is proposed, as a multifactorial disorder in which the individual loses reinforcement from its context and presents difficulties adapting to the everyday life.