| While much has been written about the pathological aspects of depression and the need to ameliorate its debilitating effects, much less attention has focused upon the potentially adaptive and life-affirming aspects of the depressive experience. Is depression more than just a "disease" to be treated and eradicated? Is it, for some individuals, an experience that can promote unique perceptions and sensitivities not needing correction? Should the phenomenology of depression, in some cases, be supported? Is a more informed and accepting view focusing on the potential advantages of depression helpful, particularly in chronic, lifelong, and severe cases?; This study examined potential advantages or "positives" of depression beginning with its earliest definition as melancholia in Ancient Greece and continuing through the Dark Ages to the Renaissance, to the philosophers Kant and Kierkegaard, and to the present, to current research in psychology that suggests a positive dimension to depression. Positives examined included numerous intellectual, spiritual, artistic, and moral qualities that seem to distinguish this type of person from others. Parallels are drawn between historical melancholy and contemporarily conceived depression, and a link is suggested between severe recurrent depression and the melancholy of old.; Building on the foundation of this historical research, a new model for conceptualizing and treating chronic and severe depression is offered: an asset model of depression. This new model is one of integration that seeks to reorient the depressed person to their experience of depression, so that it may come to be viewed as a part of the self, and as providing the opportunity for growth and the fulfillment of human potential. Emphasized in this model are supportive and informed gestures noting the strength, resilience, and courage born of repeatedly suffering intensely painful episodes of depression, as well as the discovery of meaning in that suffering. Psychoeducation, both historically and modernly informed, is also emphasized in this treatment model in an effort to uncover potentially hidden and overlooked strengths. An emphasis is also placed on expressing emotions as depression is reconceived as "frozen" passion. |
