major depression

noun

: a serious mood disorder involving one or more episodes of intense psychological depression or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two or more weeks and is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal tendencies : clinical depression, major depressive disorder

Episodes of major depression usually last several months and may recur throughout a lifetime.

—The Harvard Mental Health Letter

Psychiatrists have found that among distinguished artists, the rates of manic depression and major depression are 10 to 30 times as prevalent as in the population at large.

—Natalie Angier

Examples of major depression in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These programs could offer new therapeutic avenues for treating persistent cycles of negative thoughts in patients with major depression or the chronic worrying that characterizes generalized anxiety disorder. —Matthew D. Sacchet, Scientific American, 25 June 2024

It’s estimated that one-in-three women and one-in-five men have an episode of major depression by the age of 65. —Big Think, 24 June 2024

Symptoms may be similar to that of mild major depression, where a person has few signs of depression. —Karen Pallarito, Health, 12 June 2024

If safety, psychosis, or major depression are urgent concerns, then consider using psychoactive medications after consulting a physician. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 7 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

major depression

noun

: a serious mood disorder involving one or more episodes of intense psychological depression or loss of interest or pleasure that lasts two or more weeks and is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, weight gain or loss, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and sometimes suicidal tendencies : clinical depression, major depressive disorder