FROM MELANCHOLIA TO MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: THE DIAGNOSTIC EXPANSION OF DEPRESSION IN THE DSMS AND THE MEDICALIZATION OF SUFFERING

Abstract

The aim of this text is to critically analyze the process by which depression was established as a diagnostic category in psychiatric manuals. It seeks to discuss how this transformation relates to diagnostic expansion and the medicalization of suffering, while also considering the social and economic implications for the diagnosis and treatment of depression. The methodology employed in this text is a qualitative study with a historical-critical approach, conducted through bibliographic research and document analysis. The study presents a comparative analysis of different classification systems for depression, emphasizing the transformations observed in the DSM manuals. The discussions reveal that the diagnosis of depression does not constitute a stable diagnostic category; rather, it is a contested diagnostic category. It is evident that further research is needed to analyze data on the rise of depression, specifically considering the relationship between increased diagnostic capacity and the increase in psychological distress. Furthermore, it is necessary to examine the social, political, and economic effects resulting from the consolidation of depression as one of the primary diagnostic categories in contemporary psychiatry.