Melancholia and endogenous depression. From ancient Greece to modern psychiatry

Today, some experts associate melancholy with human character traits, while others believe serious disorder psyche. Which one is right?

Nowadays, melancholy generally refers to one of four types of temperament healthy people. Melancholic people are sensitive, easily vulnerable, tend to deeply experience even minor failures, but are outwardly passive and sluggishly react to their surroundings. Creative people often have a melancholic temperament. For example, according to psychologists, Descartes, Darwin, Gogol, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky were melancholics.

However, medical professionals believe that melancholy may be a mood disorder within the framework of neuroses or psychoses. It is characterized by certain changes in psychological state person. In particular, they are described in the Brockhaus and Efron dictionary:

"Essence mental changes with melancholia, it is that the subject is in a sad, depressed mood, unmotivated or insufficiently motivated by external circumstances, and that his mental activity is generally accompanied by unpleasant, painful torment.

At the same time, ideas corresponding to a sad mood predominate in the mind; the patient's imagination and memories are directed exclusively at unpleasant things and events, he sees everything in a gloomy color, nothing makes him happy, life becomes painful for him, incentives for activity weaken or completely disappear, he becomes sedentary, indifferent to his most important interests in life, considers the best The outcome is death, which is often carried out by suicide. In many other cases, on the basis of this depressed state of mind, absurd delusional ideas and deceptions of feeling arise.”

According to Brockhaus and Efron, patients with melancholia often blame themselves for some monstrous offense or crime and expect that they will suffer severe punishment.

It may seem to them that the end of the world has come, that fantastic changes are happening to their body - for example, all natural openings are overgrown, their insides are rotting, their stomach has collapsed. Others think that they became stone, wood, glass.

A person may also have various hallucinations - visual and auditory. Psychiatrists believe that we are talking about manic-depressive psychosis or schizophrenia.

However, not in all cases the melancholic state is accompanied by obvious delirium. People can simply feel depressed for no reason, suffer from attacks of severe melancholy and fear, sometimes turning into attacks of excitement and rage. With one of the varieties of melancholy (the so-called atonic melancholia), complete immobility and numbness can be observed. As a rule, melancholic people have a decreased appetite, up to complete refusal from food, metabolism and blood circulation are disrupted. They are often tormented by insomnia.

In the last century, melancholy was excluded from the list by doctors mental disorders due to the lack of criteria for accurate diagnosis, in particular, the inability to compile biochemical and clinical picture diseases. Nowadays, professor of psychiatry Gordon Parker from the University of New South Wales (Australia) believes that melancholy is still mental disorder. According to Parker, in Australia alone there are about 600 thousand patients with hidden pathology of this kind. And that's enough dangerous condition, since it can lead, for example, to suicide. And even more often than the usual depression, which, as a rule, does not last so long.

What are the main signs of melancholy? Among them, Professor Parker names the inability to concentrate attention, lack of physical energy to perform any daily activities (for example, a melancholic person may stay in bed all day), as well as an inability to enjoy things that usually give people pleasure - for example, delicious food.

According to experts, melancholy can last for periods, and then disappear for some time without a trace. In addition, it may be a component symptom of a full-blown mental disorder.

In any case, if you notice the above symptoms in yourself or your loved ones, it makes sense, before it’s too late, to consult a doctor or psychotherapist.

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Melancholy

The term depression (from the Latin depressio - suppression) appeared relatively recently - in the 19th century. For more than two thousand years, depression has been called melancholy. This term was first introduced into use by the great ancient physician Hippocrates (BC). Melancholy (Greek μελαγχολία, literally “black bile”) meant despondency, thoughtfulness, and mental illness among the Greeks.

Ancient people, just like our contemporaries, were susceptible to various mental disorders, including depressive disorders. More priests Ancient Egypt in the 4th millennium BC treated people who had pathological condition longing. Priests Ancient India They believed that despondency, as well as other mental illnesses, were caused by obsession, and therefore specially trained priests were engaged in expelling evil spirits.

In Homer's "Iliad" (7th-8th century BC) there is a description of depression, when the hero Bellerophon "wandered around the Aley field, alone, gnawing at his heart, running away from the traces of man."

In his writings, the great philosopher and physician Pythagoras of Samos (BC), during attacks of sadness or anger, recommended leaving people and, being left alone, “digesting” this feeling, achieving peace of mind. He was also the first proponent of music therapy in history, recommending listening to music in times of despondency, in particular the hymns of Hesiod.

Hippocrates gave two meanings for the word "melancholy". Firstly, he designated melancholic as one of the four temperaments of a person in whose body black bile predominates - melancholic people “are afraid of light and avoid people, they are full of all kinds of dangers, they complain of pain in the stomach, as if they are being pricked with thousands of needles.” Secondly, this is melancholy as a disease: “If the feeling of fear and cowardice continues for too long, then this indicates the onset of melancholy. Fear and sadness, if they last a long time and are not caused by everyday reasons, come from black bile.” He also described symptoms characteristic of melancholia - aversion to food, despondency, insomnia, irritability and restlessness. The fact that the cause of the disease should be sought in human brain, Hippocrates’ predecessors (Pythagoras and Alcmaeon) guessed, but it was Hippocrates who first wrote down that “you need to know what. upsets, sadness, dissatisfaction and complaints come from the brain. It makes us mad, we are seized with anxiety and fear either at night or as the day approaches.”

Aristotle asked the question: “why did people who shone with talent in the field of philosophy, or in government, or in poetry, or in the arts - why were they all apparently melancholic? Some of them suffered from a spill of black bile, as, for example, among the heroes - Hercules: it was he who was believed to be of such a melancholic nature, and the ancients called the sacred disease of Hercules after his name. Yes, undoubtedly, and many other heroes, as we know, suffered from the same disease. And in later time also Empedocles, Socrates and Plato and many other remarkable men" (Problems XXX, I).

Plato in his writings described the state of mania (μανία, a) b madness, madness; b) delight, inspiration), as the “correct” frenzy coming from the muses - this gives poetic inspiration and speaks of the advantage of the carrier of this disease over ordinary people with their everyday rationality.

Cicero wrote: “Fear and sorrow arise from thoughts of evil. It is fear that is the thought of a great evil to come, and melancholy - about a great evil that is already present and, moreover, fresh, from which such melancholy naturally arises that the sufferer seems to be suffering rightly. These unrest, as if some kind of furies, are unleashed on our lives by human unreason.” He emphasizes that “any mental disorder there is a calamity, and sorrow or sadness is like real torture.” If fear causes depression, then grief conceals “exhaustion, insanity, torment, contrition, distortion and, finally, destruction, gnawing, annihilation, destruction of the entire mind.” He cites the opinion of the Greek philosopher Chrysippius, who called melancholy “the corruption of man himself.” Cicero mentions that in his time many authors already wrote about melancholy, including Homer, who said that in melancholy people often seek solitude. About the treatment of this condition, he writes that “the body can be treated, but there is no cure for the soul.”

Aretaeus of Cappadocia (2nd century AD) in his treatises agreed with the ancients that “black bile, flooding the diaphragm, penetrating the stomach, and causing heaviness and bloating there, disorder mental activity thus gives melancholy. But besides this, it can also arise purely psychically: some depressing performance, sad thought causes a completely similar disorder." He defines melancholy this way: “A depressed state of mind, focused on some thought.” A sad idea in itself can arise without any external reasons, as may be a consequence of any event. In his opinion, long-term melancholy leads to indifference, complete dullness of a person who loses the ability to correctly assess the situation.

Avicenna (g.) wrote that “melancholy is a deviation of opinions from natural way towards frustration, fear and damage. Melancholy is defined by excessive thoughtfulness, constant obsessions, gaze invariably fixed on one thing or the ground.” This is also indicated by a sad facial expression, insomnia and thoughtfulness.

In the 11th century Constantine the African wrote a treatise “On Melancholy”, in which he compiled data from Arab and Roman sources. He defines melancholy as a condition in which a person believes that only unfavorable events will occur. The cause of the disease is that black bile vapor rises to the brain, darkening consciousness. This inclination is not formed in everyone, but only in individuals who have a special predisposition to it.

Enagrius Pontiac (g.), John Cassian (g.) described the pure, causeless melancholy of hermits who settled in desert places. She overcomes these lonely people at noon, which is why it is called the “midday demon.” It constitutes the main symptom of acedia (lethargy, laziness), which in the Middle Ages was synonymous with the old concept of “melancholy”. A monk under the influence of acedia experiences an irresistible desire to leave his cell and seek healing somewhere else. He looks around frantically, hoping to see someone coming to visit him. In his melancholy restlessness, he is in danger of falling into a state of apathy or, conversely, embarking on a frantic flight. Acedia, which was for hermits “a general misfortune that causes damage at noon,” was usually associated with Psalm 90. It paralyzed the ability to concentrate and pray. Enagry Pontiac told his fellows that they should not succumb to melancholy and leave their places.

It is characteristic of the Middle Ages that all experiences are divided into vices and virtues. The Latin word desperatio (“despair”) meant not just a state of mind, but a vice, a sinful doubt in God’s mercy. Acedia, which means apathy, spiritual laziness, and negligence, can also be attributed to this class. The word tristitia (“sadness”) was often used instead of Acedia. In the 13th century. this state began to be associated with a physical spill of bile, and gradually the word acedia replaced the Hippocratic “melancholy” and began to be used in the meaning of “melancholy.”

Jean Francois Fernel) - a Renaissance doctor called melancholy feverless madness. It occurs due to “exhaustion of the brain, weakening of the basic abilities of the latter.” Melancholy is a state when “patients think and speak and act absurdly, reason and logic fail them for a long time, and all this proceeds with fear and despondency.” “Beginner” melancholics are lethargic, depressed, “weak in soul, indifferent to themselves, consider life a burden and are afraid of leaving it.” When the disease develops, “with their soul and mind, upset and disordered, they imagine many things, and it is almost all gloomy; others believe that they should not speak to anyone and should spend their whole lives in silence. They avoid society and the attention of people, many seek loneliness, which drives them to wander among graves, tombs, and into wild caves.”

“Melancholy” is the most mysterious of Dürer’s three so-called “Mastery Engravings” and one of his favorite works. A lot has been written about this engraving; every stroke has been carefully analyzed. At the same time, astronomy and astrology were very often involved. And, of course, first of all, attention was paid to the comet. “Thanks to painting, the dimensions of the earth, waters and stars have become clear, and much more will be revealed through painting,” writes Dürer. As a true representative of the Renaissance, Albrecht Durer was a universally educated man. He had a brilliant knowledge of mathematics and natural sciences, including being actively involved in the problems of astronomy. In particular, in 1515 he produced printed maps of the starry sky. One planisphere showed all the northern constellations; another woodcut depicted the southern ones. The Latin inscription on the southern planisphere reads: “Johannes Stabius directed – Conrad Heinvogel arranged the stars – Albrecht Dürer filled the circle with images.” While working on maps of the starry sky, Dürer often monitored the celestial bodies himself in the observatory on the roof of his house in Nuremberg. In 1514, while working on the engraving “Melancholy,” Dürer watched a bright comet appear.

It seemed that a lot in the engraving “Melancholy”, including the comet, was connected with the symbolism of the planet Saturn, which patronizes melancholic people. The god of this planet is older than the other gods, he knows the hidden beginnings of the Universe, he stands closest to the source of life and embodies the highest intellect, so only the melancholic can enjoy the joy of discovery. Three types of melancholy were distinguished. The first type is people with a rich imagination: artists, poets, craftsmen. The second type are people for whom reason prevails over feeling: scientists, statesmen. The third type is people whose intuition predominates: theologians and philosophers. Only the first stage is available to artists. Therefore, Dürer, who considered himself a melancholic person, writes on the engraving the inscription MELENCOLIA I. The winged woman sits motionless, resting her head on her hand, among tools and instruments scattered in disorder. Curled up in a ball next to a woman large dog, an animal symbolizing a melancholic temperament. This woman, a kind of muse of Durer, is sad and gloomy. She is winged and powerful, but cannot penetrate beyond the visible phenomena of the world and learn the secrets of the Universe. This impossibility fetters her strength and will. Dürer created this engraving for Archduke Maximilian I, who was terrified of the ominous influence of the planet Saturn. Therefore, a woman wears a wreath of buttercups and watercress on her head - as a remedy against dangerous influence Saturn. Next to the stairs, there are scales on the wall. In 1514, the year the engraving was created, the planet Saturn was located precisely in the constellation Libra. There, in Libra, in 1513 there was a conjunction of Saturn, Venus and Mars. This phenomenon was clearly observed in the morning sky. Before this, Venus and Mars were in the constellation Virgo. Since antiquity, it was believed that such planetary convergences are the cause of the appearance of comets. The comet that Durer saw and captured in the engraving was moving precisely to the place in Libra where Saturn was located, thus becoming another symbol of melancholy. This comet appeared at the end of December 1513 and was observed until February 21, 1514. She was visible throughout the night.

In England, melancholy was called the “Elizabethan disease.” Beginning with Robert Burton's famous treatise "The Anatomy of Melancholy" (1621), his description of melancholy as mental illness are complemented by a socio-psychological interpretation that emphasizes the importance of factors such as loneliness, fear, poverty, unrequited love, excessive religiosity, etc. Burton's words are not without interest: “I write about melancholy in order to avoid melancholy. Melancholy has no greater reason than idleness, and no the best remedy against it than being busy."

Initially, the French word about ennui was one of the derivatives of the word acédia, but Pascal already considers inconstancy, melancholy and anxiety to be normal, albeit painful, human conditions. In the 17th century The word ennui denotes a very wide range of experiences: anxiety, depression, sadness, melancholy, boredom, fatigue, disappointment. In the 18th century In the English dictionary of emotions the words bore, boredom ("melancholy", "boredom"), splee ("spleen") appear. Times change, morals change - it becomes beautiful and fashionable to yearn and be bored. Romantics of the early 19th century. are already unthinkable without a feeling of “world sorrow”. What was once a mortal sin worthy of condemnation has turned, as O. Huxley noted, first into a disease, and then into a refined lyrical emotion, which has become a source of inspiration for the authors of most works of modern literature.

In ancient Rome, the treatment of melancholy “consisted of bloodletting, but if they are contraindicated due to general weakness patient, they were replaced with emetics; In addition, rubbing the entire body, movement and laxatives are necessary. At the same time, it is very important to instill good spirits in the patient by entertaining him with conversations on topics that were pleasant to him before” (A. Celsus). The patricians also knew that “sleep deprivation along with entertainment” can temporarily relieve the symptoms of melancholy. This method was again undeservedly forgotten and discovered only in the second half of the 20th century (You can read a detailed article about Sleep Deprivation on the “way out of depression” block)

In the 18th century in Germany, doctors tried to get rid of such a common symptom of melancholy, which was described by patients as “a leaden heaviness in the arms and legs”, “a heavy weight on the shoulders” with the help of quite in a strange way. Patients were strapped to rotating chairs and wheels, with the assumption that centrifugal force could remove this heaviness.

In general, until the 20th century, patients who fell into the hands of psychiatrists were treated with little ceremony. Starvation, beating, chaining - this is a list of far from the most cruel methods used in psychiatric institutions of that time. Even the English King George III was treated this way when he fell into madness - on the advice of the best doctors in Europe, he was subjected to severe beatings. During one of the attacks, the king died. It should be noted that these methods “cured” mainly violent diseases, and since patients with depression behaved quietly, milder methods were used on them.

For three quarters of a century, medicine was dominated by so-called hydrotherapy. To treat melancholia, sudden immersion in cold water(the so-called bainde surprise) until the first signs of suffocation, and the duration of these procedures was equal to the time required not to recite the Miserere psalm too quickly. A “popular” method of treatment was also struzbad: a melancholic person lay in a bathtub, tied, and from 10 to 50 buckets of cold water were poured on his head.

In Russia at the beginning of the 19th century, “tartar emetic, sweet mercury, henbane, external rubbing of the head with tartar emetic, application of leeches to anus, blister plasters and other types of relieving medications. Warm baths were prescribed in winter and cold baths in summer. They often applied moxas to the head and both shoulders and divided the burns on the arms.”

Before the advent of the drug era, the era of antidepressants, various narcotic substances were widely used. The most popular "antidepressant" was opium and various opiates, which continued to be used until the 60s of the 20th century. The use of opium in the treatment of depression is mentioned in the treatises of the ancient Roman physician Galen (130 - 200 AD).

In the 19th century, the drug cannabis, which is essentially ordinary marijuana or hemp, was used to treat depression. Cannabis is used by mankind for many years; the first evidence of its use for pharmacological purposes, including for depression, dates back to the 3rd century BC. in China. In Europe, cannabis appeared much later - in the 19th century. In the 40s 19th century Parisian physician Jacques-Joseph Moreau de Thou believed that to get rid of melancholy it is necessary to “replace the symptoms of mental illness with similar ones, but controlled symptoms induced by drugs" used cannabis for depression and found that, among other things, it caused excitement and euphoria. This effect, however, was very short-lived.

In 1884, S. Freud tried cocaine for the first time, which led to the release of his first major work, called “On Cocaine.” It also talks about the use of cocaine in the treatment of depression. At that time, cocaine was sold in pharmacies freely and without a prescription, and more than one year passed before it was clarified negative aspects this "medicine" - severe drug addiction, and the fact that cocaine use itself leads to depression, which even received a name - “cocaine sadness.”

Melancholy - what is this concept in psychology?

The word “melancholy” usually evokes associations with rain outside the window, a checkered blanket and a glass of hot grog. Well, or cocoa with marshmallows, if we are talking about a staunch opponent of alcohol. Melancholy, “Spleen”, “get some ink and cry...”. And this concept, in fact, is completely from the field of psychology.

From ancient Greece to modern psychiatry

The term “melancholia” was first introduced by Hippocrates. He explained this condition by an imbalance of fluids in the body - this was very popular in those years. medical theory. Melancholy, according to Hippocrates, was caused by an excess of bile. For many centuries this concept was the only one; there were no other options for explaining the cause of depressed mood.

Sigmund Frey, the founder of modern psychoanalysis, wrote an entire work dedicated to this condition, “Sadness and Melancholia.” Now the word has become simply colloquial and has changed its meaning. Melancholy is sadness, melancholy, despondency. But this is just a mood and in no way a cause for concern. Previously, this word also meant depression, which is now identified as a separate pathological state of the psyche that requires correction, in contrast to melancholy.

Freud - a pioneer of psychological analysis

Sigmund Freud believed that melancholia is associated either with loss loved one, or with the loss of an intangible object, attachment to which is comparable in strength to love for a person. This could be homeland, honor, work, etc. That is, he considered such a state exclusively as a psychological reaction, in isolation from physiological aspects.

Of course, according to Freud, depression and melancholy are associated with libido. He was the first psychiatrist to recognize the critical importance of sexuality in human life, but his emphasis on this aspect of human relationships is at times excessive. Perhaps this was a consequence of the lifestyle adopted in those years. Puritan prudishness led to sexual dissatisfaction, especially for women who were deprived of the opportunity for “illegitimate” release, for example, visiting representatives of the ancient profession. And, as a result, Dr. Freud's patients demonstrated psychological problems, V mandatory complicated by sexual dysfunction. Such a statistical selection could affect the results of the scientist’s research.

Melancholy as a feeling of loss

According to Sigmund Freud, melancholy is an illness associated with the loss of a loved one or some intangible value of exceptional significance and, as a consequence, the inability to realize the libido associated with these objects. In the light of Freud's theory, the phrase “love of country” takes on a special, incomparable meaning.

A patient suffering from melancholia subconsciously realizes the need to renounce libido, but also subconsciously resists this as a process unnatural for the human psyche.

The true background

Melancholia is a condition accompanied by the patient’s self-deprecation, auto-aggression, contempt and self-hatred. The patient speaks about himself in an extremely impartial manner, feels sorry for those who are forced to communicate with such an unworthy person, sometimes hurts himself or even decides to attempt suicide. Freud considered such manifestations as transferred aggression. In fact, the patient’s rejection is not caused by himself, but by the person or object that was lost. But the mind, knowing that the loss is something important, valuable and deeply loved, suppresses manifestations of discontent and aggression. It is not possible to completely cope with emotions, and then the subconscious simply switches them to another object - to the patient himself.

The Dangers of Major Depression

That is why black melancholy is a dangerous condition for the patient. This term was used by doctors of the past to designate deep depression leading to thoughts of suicide. The desire to punish oneself, to destroy oneself is actually a desire to take revenge on a lost valuable object, to punish it for its betrayal in the form of disappearance.

This approach is somewhat one-sided; it does not cover conditions caused by purely physiological factors (postpartum depression) or circumstances of unbearable severity ( various kinds post-traumatic syndromes). But in a number of cases, indeed, it is precisely the reasons described by Freud that explain such phenomena as depression and melancholy. The description of this condition given by the father of modern psychoanalysis is extremely accurate. Depressed mood, absorption in oneself, in one's own experiences, detachment from the outside world, dissatisfaction with oneself, self-hatred, insomnia and apathy - all these are classic signs of this type of disorder.

Fighting oppression

The cure for melancholy, according to Freud, is, first of all, a thorough analysis of the reasons that led to this condition, and the patient's awareness of the true realities of the disease. Freud believed that melancholia is the result of some narcissistic personality. In a certain sense, it manifests itself as a loss of self-respect and self-love. The patient willingly scolds himself, draws the attention of others to his shortcomings, real or imaginary, and sticks them out. But the real loss of self-esteem is not experienced so demonstrably. A person who is disappointed in himself is not at all inclined to notify everyone about it. Therefore, in reality, the basis of melancholy and depression is not dissatisfaction with oneself, but dissatisfaction with a foreign object; it is this that is actually scolded and reproached.

The task of the psychiatrist is, together with the patient, to find an opportunity to restore the integrity of the individual, to lead to reconciliation between the person and the lost object that caused such a storm of feelings.

Mania

Freud called mania a state opposite to melancholy - joyful uncontrollable excitement, similar to a state of intoxication. The man who won a huge amount money, will also “lose himself” - he will behave inappropriately to the circumstances, overly affective and intrusive. This will be caused, in fact, by a similar circumstance - past life a lucky person will be “destroyed” by a win, just as the life of a melancholic person will be “destroyed” by a loss. But the melancholic person has lost the pleasant, necessary factors of his life, and the person in a state of mania, on the contrary, has gotten rid of difficulties and worries.

But a logical question arises: “What about the state of disappointment that sometimes comes after such large gifts of fortune, when a dream come true leads to depression and awareness of one’s own uselessness?”

Melancholy and depression outside concept

However, this is probably already nit-picking. Freud did a great job, first describing the importance of many mental processes, previously not received the attention of medicine. You cannot expect a detailed, completely comprehensive answer from him on any issue related to psychology or psychiatry. Depression and melancholy are serious psychological problems that can lead to extreme unpleasant consequences. Freud did a lot to ensure that society paid attention to this and stopped considering such states to be simply a whim or the blues.

Of course, followers in the study of melancholy studied it in more detail, classified and typologized it. They have developed a lot effective techniques psychological overcoming such a state has been created chemicals that allow one to overcome pathological depression. Not all forms of depression can be treated only by conversations with psychologists; often the patient needs drug treatment in the form of antidepressants. But all this would be impossible if melancholy were still considered simply a bad mood.

In classical art

A condition such as melancholy attracts the attention not only of specialists in the field of psychology and psychiatry, but also of creative people. Many descriptions that can be included in medical textbooks are available in classical literature.

For example, the experiences of Dostoevsky’s characters often come down to melancholy. Anna Karenina's condition, so carefully described by Tolstoy, is precisely oppression, complicated by taking drugs - morphine. This was the reason for the woman's suicide. Tolstoy was not a psychiatrist, and at that time melancholy was not identified as separate disorder. But he knew and understood people and the stages of development of despondency in a young blooming woman showed with surgical precision. Exactly at the same time, Flaubert achieved the same effect in Madame Bovary. The sluggish depression of the main character, which was interrupted with the beginning of the novel and flared up again with its end, led to a tragic denouement.

In modern literature

The condition in question has not been neglected and modern writers. Ryu Murakami's novel Melancholia is a thoughtful story of the seduction of a woman. This plot serves as the basis for describing the hero’s experiences and analyzing the emotions he experiences.

Ray Bradbury is the author of the collection of short stories A Cure for Melancholy. True, it says little about the disorder itself; Bradbury is not the author who is characterized by melancholy. But stories will be good as a remedy for sadness, that’s true. Moreover, the author does not follow the path of classical opposition: “Sad? Let's make you laugh." No. Bradbury is much more subtle. His stories, beautiful, bright, full of love for life and people, allow you to do more than just take a break for five minutes to laugh. They give a piece of spiritual warmth, the inner energy of the author, and allow one to cope with sadness in the same way that fire allows one to warm up in order to cope with the cold.

In cinema

Lars von Trier paid a lot of attention to this state of affairs in cinema. He made his film “Melancholia” based on personal experiences - the director came up with the idea during a course of psychotherapy aimed at combating depression. The lead actress, Kirsten Dunst, was also treated for depression, an experience she used in her work on the role.

Trier's film Melancholia tells the story of personal disaster against the backdrop of the apocalypse. A young woman is having a hard time breaking up with her fiancé; she cannot cope with the overwhelming feeling of disappointment in life and despair. But the days in which her depression occurs are the last days of the existence of humanity. A planet called “Melancholia” by scientists is moving towards Earth; this collision will destroy all life, a catastrophe is inevitable. Transparent allusion is a murderous melancholy that destroys humanity. Combined with Von Trier's idiosyncratic, slow-paced style, this made the film controversial. For some, it was too simple, and the associations it evoked were too obvious. To some, on the contrary, what was happening seemed too pretentious and far-fetched. That is why viewers' opinions of the film range from "brilliant" to "boring", from "delightful parable" to "vague nonsense." But despite mixed reviews, Melancholia was highly praised by critics. The film was awarded prizes from the European Film Academy, the Cannes Film Festival, the Saturn and Golden Eagle awards, etc.

Arthouse

Another film dedicated to this disorder is “The Incredible Melancholy.” An arthouse movie about a girl who is sincerely attached to an old, cracked doll that looks like a mannequin. The girl is lonely, and this doll replaces her close friend. But the heroine meets a young man and turns her warmth to him. But it turns out that the doll also has feelings. There is a lot of melancholy in this film. Moreover, it is not clear who suffers more: the guy, the girl, or the unfortunate doll that has become unnecessary.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. You've probably heard the word like . In general, this is one of the four types of temperament into which all people can be divided, and which I have already written about in some detail at the link provided.

What then is melancholy? Maybe it’s just a gloomy mood (state) or it’s a complex mental illness(like)? There is also an opinion that only people are susceptible to this condition.” blue bloods" Or is everyone subject to melancholy?

In fact, it all depends on the interpretation:

If we keep in mind the type of temperament, then melancholy is simply congenital feature worldview and adaptation to society. Nothing more. Melancholic people are (they feel good alone) with a very weak nervous system who are constantly immersed in everything (very sensitive) and experience all this deep inside themselves.
On the other hand, in ancient times this term was used to define what now belongs to the region, and this is already serious problem, which definitely needs to be addressed.

Let's figure it out topical issue, because dreary autumn is very close 🙁

Where did the word "melancholy" come from and what did it mean?

The meaning of the term “melancholy” can be found by looking at Ancient Greek dictionary. The word is translated as " black bile" I immediately recall the teachings of Hippocrates, who stated:

People in whom this liquid predominates are prone to melancholy, gloomy mood, very sensitive and receptive to the outside world, vulnerable, prone to tears.

Much later, this description of temperament was called “melancholic” (read more about this at the link given at the very beginning of the article). Essentially, this is a sentence. Yes, yes, because the tendency to such a state is congenital.

It has also been observed that melancholy is more common female, rather than male. But this does not mean that men are immune from this.

The priests of Ancient India believed that such mental illness, like all others, was the work of the devil or evil spirits. Therefore, those who suffered from this were brought to them, and they tried to expel them with various ceremonies, rituals, and herbs.

Pythagoras also noticed attacks of sadness, during which he advised getting away from crowds of people. Stay alone with yourself, find peace and peace of mind. The philosopher and doctor also resorted to music therapy.

Democritus argued that melancholy passion creeps in. Therefore, during her period it is worth contemplating the world around you and analyzing your thoughts and emotions. Aristotle noted that this condition mainly affects artists, philosophers and politicians.

In ancient Rome, treatment was in the form of bloodletting. And who couldn't do this? medical indications, caused vomiting. Everything in order to relieve a person from inner melancholy, which has accumulated in the body. In the Middle Ages, this condition was considered sinful, which is why therapy took place in the church.

In Rus' this state has been around since ancient times. called the blues or dark insanity. Nowadays they most often talk about a sad mood and “high” sadness (). Who cares.

The main signs of melancholy (ala depression)

As statistics suggest, melancholy in clinical aspect(now called depression) is a mental state (rather unpleasant and oppressive), which is more often characteristic of women aged close to 50 years, as well as men, but a little older. Although there is a tendency for this condition to manifest itself in adolescents and young men.

Main symptoms, from which we can conclude that this is melancholy, smoothly flowing into depression:

IN International classification diseases used to be distinguished as “melancholy without established cause" and "involutional", which is associated with aging and a more unstable psyche.

On at the moment there is no such definition in psychiatry. Similar conditions classified as depression.

The causes of this condition in humans

There may be several reasons, and if they come together in one puzzle, then this condition occurs in a person. Although there may be one main reason.

Here is a list of the most popular factors leading to a languid state of mind:

Melancholy: pros and cons

Let's look at the benefits and negative aspects melancholy, if we are talking about the type of temperament- traits that are present throughout life. After all, if this is a sign of depression, it needs to be treated immediately.

Pros

Melancholic people are creative people. They often become: artists, musicians. Such people perceive more subtly the world around us, prone to analysis, developed creativity. They are again the most easily trained of all temperament types and it is among them that real geniuses most often appear.
They are empathic (they love people), do not interrupt their interlocutor, and know how to listen and empathize.
If a person of this type is interested in a certain topic, he will deepen his knowledge and will be able to talk about it as much as he wants, despite his introversion (closedness).
Melancholic people constantly engage in introspection, sorting out their values and motivations. This helps them find the right way for yourself. They also know how to feel other people very subtly, which is why they make wonderful psychologists.

Cons

There are a lot of pessimistic thoughts about your activities. Therefore, they may often fail to achieve their goal. The kind I already wrote about.
Prone to mental illness. Especially to prolonged depression, which is hidden for them (unnoticeable, because their normal behavior not much of a contrast to what is observed in people during depression).
Melancholic people are very poor organizers of their own time and do not carry out their plans. Giving them the job of manager is a very bad idea. These are not phlegmatic people who can’t be broken through with anything. Here feelings and emotions often prevail.
They really don’t like to rush somewhere, which often irritates the people around them who live at a different pace.

How to get rid of painful melancholy

When melancholy is not a human trait, but disease(now this is the so-called depression), which interferes with life, it must be eradicated immediately. How to do this?

Mention of melancholy in creativity

There are many works that describe a hero with a constant depressed mood. As a rule, this is a young character with a very sensitive and subtle mental organization.

Among the works whose titles contain the word “melancholy” are film of the same name about the death of the Earth and the experiences of two sisters about this.
“The Anatomy of Melancholy” by Robert Burton is a book where the author described everything that is known about this condition: causes, symptoms, types. Very informative literature that you can read online or download from the Internet. The paper version is quite difficult to find.
“A Cure for Melancholy” by Ray Bradbury and his, as always, very insightful work about hope when all is lost.

As you can see, this state " black bile"very popular and romanticized in modern times. But if it drags on for you and develops from a pleasant, light melancholy of a person of “blue blood” into a hopeless state, consult a doctor immediately.

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

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