Talk:Depression (mood)

Please note that this is the Wikipedia article that covers depressed mood as an everyday emotion, a subject in normal psychology. It is not an article about the psychiatric disorder known as major depressive disorder, or "clinical depression" or sometimes simply "depression". Please add content specific to that or any other psychiatric syndrome (such as dysthymia, bipolar disorder, etc) to its respective article. --Anthonyhcole (talk) 04:34, 27 April 2012 (UTC)

An emotion is short term, and a mood is long term, so I'm not sure what you mean by your first sentence. Furthermore, the article mentions that depression is classified as a disorder medically (second sentence), but possibly the article's intent has drifted since you wrote your message. To me it seems like both articles (Depression (mood), Major depressive disorder) are both about the same topic, but from different perspectives; respectively layman and medical. I don't really see another difference. Yodo9000 (talk) 22:12, 11 October 2022 (UTC)

Depression is a normal part of everyday life, but MDD is characterized by changes in mood that last about two weeks, and occur cyclically. Depression normally passes, but the cyclical nature of MDD can be life long. All mood disorders, as far as I'm aware, are cyclical in nature and tend to be very difficult to treat. Mood, while long-term, doesn't typically last more than two weeks, or recur. Lofenyy (talk) 08:39, 18 February 2023 (UTC)

There is some research data that is missing vital information. For example on Citation 40, talks about how people with chronic pain are more likely to have suicidal ideations, however, this research mainly focuses on veterans and does not capture the general population. M Vasq (talk) 04:08, 2 October 2024 (UTC)

The redirect Crippling depression has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2026 February 3 § Crippling depression until a consensus is reached. —Myceteae‍🍄‍🟫 (talk) 22:35, 3 February 2026 (UTC)

This business of "crippling depression" is better covered by depression with melancholic features. Iss246 (talk) 04:35, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

Wikipedia has an entry called "melancholic depression" as if the nomenclature considers it a different type of depression. The DSM-5 has a chapter on depression. The chapter clearly states that depressions can have different "features". There is depression with atypical features, which, despite its name, is not a rare condition. Its name distinguishes it from depression with melancholic features--the term "atypical" has a history in the nomenclature when used in conjunction with the term "depression". In depression with atypical features, there are times when the mood of the affected individual will lighten, such as when experiencing a positive event (e.g., a nice home-cooked meal, a birthday party). By contrast, an individual suffering from depression with melancholic features is unlikely to have his or her mood lighten. There are, however, treatments to help affected individuals. It would be helpful if WP editors who contribute to topics such as depression (mood), depressive disorders, and depressive episodes would write and edit consistent with the nomenclature. I recommend that editors slightly rewrite these entries consistent with the DSM-5, and begin to use the term "features". Iss246 (talk) 05:12, 4 February 2026 (UTC)

The redirect Oppression and depression has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2026 February 25 § Oppression and depression until a consensus is reached. Jay 💬 11:27, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Currently, English Wikipedia has three problems:

First, "Depressive disorder" redirects to "Mood disorder". This is incorrect. Depressive disorder is a specific category of mental disorders defined by persistent low mood and loss of interest. Mood disorder is a broader category that includes both depressive disorders and bipolar disorders. Redirecting one to the other erases this basic hierarchy.

Second, "Depression (mood)" and "Major depressive disorder" have overlapping content. The "Depression (mood)" article says it covers depressed mood as an everyday emotion, but its lead includes epidemiology (280 million people), mentions "specialty: psychiatry", and describes diagnostic criteria. This contradicts its stated scope and duplicates content from the MDD article.

Third, there is no dedicated page for "Depressive disorder" as a diagnostic category. Readers looking for an overview of all depressive disorders (MDD, persistent depressive disorder, PMDD, etc.) are sent either to "Mood disorder" (too broad) or to "Major depressive disorder" (too narrow).

Proposed solution:

Create a new stand-alone page titled "Depressive disorder" (or "Depressive disorders") to serve as the category page for all clinical conditions primarily characterized by depressed mood.

Specific changes:

1. Create "Depressive disorder" page. Define it as a category of mental disorders characterized by persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, and related symptoms. List all subtypes from DSM-5 and ICD-11, including major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), premenstrual dysphoric disorder, substance/medication-induced depressive disorder, depressive disorder due to another medical condition, and other specified or unspecified depressive disorders. Note clearly that bipolar disorders are not depressive disorders; they belong to a separate mood disorder category.
2. Revise "Depression (mood)" page. Strictly limit it to depressed mood as a normal, non-pathological emotional state. Remove all clinical content: epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, treatment, prognosis, and the infobox. Add a clear hatnote: "This article is about depressed mood as an everyday emotion. For the mental disorder, see Major depressive disorder. For the category of disorders, see Depressive disorder." The content should focus on causes such as life events and normal reactions, symptoms as experienced like sadness and hopelessness, and differentiation from clinical depression.
3. Update "Major depressive disorder" page. Keep its current clinical content on diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, etc. Add a sentence at the beginning: "Major depressive disorder is the most common type of depressive disorder." Link to the new "Depressive disorder" page.
4. Revise "Mood disorder" page. Clarify that mood disorders include two main subcategories: depressive disorders and bipolar disorders. Link to the new "Depressive disorder" page rather than redirecting it. Remove any suggestion that depressive disorder is synonymous with mood disorder.
5. Update the "Depression" disambiguation page. Add a clear three-level structure: Mood state (Depression mood), Category of disorders (Depressive disorder), Specific disorder (Major depressive disorder). Also list other specific disorders like bipolar disorder and dysthymia separately.

Benefits of this proposal:

It eliminates the false redirect from "Depressive disorder" to "Mood disorder". It restores logical hierarchy: Mood disorder -> Depressive disorder -> Major depressive disorder. It cleans up "Depression (mood)" so it can focus on normal psychology as originally intended. It reduces content duplication between "Depression (mood)" and "Major depressive disorder". It provides a clear entry point for readers who want an overview of all depressive conditions without being misdirected.

This proposal has been discussed informally on Talk:Depression (mood) in comments from 2022, 2023, and 2026. I believe this structural change will resolve long-standing confusion and bring Wikipedia's coverage in line with standard psychiatric nosology.

I look forward to comments and suggestions. Fanxdd (talk) 21:47, 12 June 2026 (UTC)