Quote by Jonathan Rottenberg

“For example, for decades, in the official bible for mental disorder diagnosis, the DSM, depression within two months after a death was usually not termed “depression.” Instead, depression following a death was considered under another category, called “simple bereavement,” which was not indicative of a mental disorder or condition. In fact, of all the things that can befall a person, bereavement has historically been the only life event that could potentially negate a diagnosis of depression. Bereavement-related depressions last for about as long as regular depressions do. People who have a bereavement-related depression are about as likely as those who have a regular depression to have additional episodes of depression in the future. Bad life events come in great variety and have many themes: uncertainty, danger, humiliation, injustice, and so forth. However, when people’s reported life events are rated on different themes by objective coders, the theme that most consistently predicts depression is loss. You can lose your livelihood, reputation, or marriage. But the ultimate loss, bereavement, is the prototypical loss event, the one that most strongly predicts depression.”

Quote by Jonathan Rottenberg