What is melancholy?

originally defined by Greek doctors around 300 BCE, melancholy is a psychological disorder marked by loss of appetite and depressive mood. Modern psychologists generally believe that this is another term for what is now known as a depressive disorder. In ancient Greek medicine, doctors believed that each disease was caused by an imbalance in one of the four main body fluids or humours . The excess black bile was considered to be the cause of depressive disposition. The name was taken from the Greek root words melas , which means "black" and kholé , which means "bile". Persistent insomnia, lack of appetite and despair were considered signs of this condition. In addition, Greek doctors noted that patients suffering from melancholy showed aggressive behavior, sometimes led to suicide. For example, the ancient Greeks said that it seemed to deteriorate or become more, evidence that may associate the condition with a seasonal affective disorder (SAD). In addition, it is assumed that the condition known as mania , characterized by a seriously increased mood, is associated with melancholy. This suggests that some patients involved in these early studies could suffer from bipolar disorder.

It also seems that ancient studies on melancholy distinguish between situational and chemical depression. Although Hippocrates attributed melancholy to the chemical surplus of Black Bile, he also noted that symptoms can be produced by persistent grief and fear, suggesting that situational professionals could also cause depression. In the medieval era, doctors studied link between family history and melancholy.

While the word still refers to the desolation of the disposition that is no longer used as a medical diagnosis. Today, doctors define clinical depression as a persistent state of melancholy or despair. In order to lead to the diagnosis of depressive disorder, mThis state is up to the point of disruption of the individual's daily life.