<P> The new definitions of depression were widely accepted, albeit with some conflicting findings and views . There have been some continued empirically based arguments for a return to the diagnosis of melancholia . There has been some criticism of the expansion of coverage of the diagnosis, related to the development and promotion of antidepressants and the biological model since the late 1950s . </P> <P> The term "depression" is used in a number of different ways . It is often used to mean this syndrome but may refer to other mood disorders or simply to a low mood . People's conceptualizations of depression vary widely, both within and among cultures . "Because of the lack of scientific certainty," one commentator has observed, "the debate over depression turns on questions of language . What we call it --' disease,' ' disorder,' ' state of mind'--affects how we view, diagnose, and treat it ." There are cultural differences in the extent to which serious depression is considered an illness requiring personal professional treatment, or is an indicator of something else, such as the need to address social or moral problems, the result of biological imbalances, or a reflection of individual differences in the understanding of distress that may reinforce feelings of powerlessness, and emotional struggle . </P> <P> The diagnosis is less common in some countries, such as China . It has been argued that the Chinese traditionally deny or somatize emotional depression (although since the early 1980s, the Chinese denial of depression may have modified). Alternatively, it may be that Western cultures reframe and elevate some expressions of human distress to disorder status . Australian professor Gordon Parker and others have argued that the Western concept of depression "medicalizes" sadness or misery . Similarly, Hungarian - American psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and others argue that depression is a metaphorical illness that is inappropriately regarded as an actual disease . There has also been concern that the DSM, as well as the field of descriptive psychiatry that employs it, tends to reify abstract phenomena such as depression, which may in fact be social constructs . American archetypal psychologist James Hillman writes that depression can be healthy for the soul, insofar as "it brings refuge, limitation, focus, gravity, weight, and humble powerlessness ." Hillman argues that therapeutic attempts to eliminate depression echo the Christian theme of resurrection, but have the unfortunate effect of demonizing a soulful state of being . </P> <P> Historical figures were often reluctant to discuss or seek treatment for depression due to social stigma about the condition, or due to ignorance of diagnosis or treatments . Nevertheless, analysis or interpretation of letters, journals, artwork, writings, or statements of family and friends of some historical personalities has led to the presumption that they may have had some form of depression . People who may have had depression include English author Mary Shelley, American - British writer Henry James, and American president Abraham Lincoln . Some well - known contemporary people with possible depression include Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen and American playwright and novelist Tennessee Williams . Some pioneering psychologists, such as Americans William James and John B. Watson, dealt with their own depression . </P>

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