Melancholy facts for kids
Melancholia is an old word that used to describe a feeling of deep sadness or gloom, often combined with physical problems. For a long time, it was seen as a specific condition affecting both the mind and body. Today, doctors use "melancholia" as a special type of major depression.
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What is Melancholia?
Melancholia is a term that comes from ancient times. It was once believed to be one of the main ways a person's body and mind could be out of balance. People thought it caused a mix of mental and physical symptoms.
Melancholia in Ancient Medicine
In ancient and pre-modern medicine, people believed the body had four main liquids, called "humours." These were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. They thought that if these humours were not balanced, a person could get sick.
Melancholy was linked to an excess of "black bile." Each humour was also connected to a "temperament," which was a way of describing a person's personality. The melancholic temperament was thought to be quiet, thoughtful, and sometimes sad.
The Four Humours and Temperaments
- Blood: Linked to a "sanguine" temperament, meaning cheerful and outgoing.
- Yellow Bile: Linked to a "choleric" temperament, meaning easily angered and energetic.
- Black Bile: Linked to a "melancholic" temperament, meaning thoughtful, quiet, and sometimes sad.
- Phlegm: Linked to a "phlegmatic" temperament, meaning calm and relaxed.
People believed that if you had too much black bile, you would feel very sad, tired, and might even have physical aches.
Melancholia Today
Over time, as medical understanding grew, the idea of humours faded away. By the 20th century, the word "melancholia" became mostly used to describe a severe form of depression.
Today, "melancholia" is not a separate illness. Instead, it is a specific type, or "subtype," of major depression. When doctors say someone has "melancholic depression," it means their depression has certain features. These features often include a deep sadness that feels different from regular sadness, a lack of pleasure in almost everything, and sometimes physical slowness or agitation. It can also involve waking up very early in the morning.
So, while the old meaning of melancholia involved many different symptoms, its modern use is much more focused on a particular kind of severe depression.
