clinical depression

American  

noun

1. Psychiatry. a depression so severe as to be considered abnormal, either because of no obvious environmental causes, or because the reaction to unfortunate life circumstances is more intense or prolonged than would generally be expected.

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Example Sentences

No objective cutoff distinguishes ordinary worry from clinical anxiety, or grief from clinical depression.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

Los Angeles and Tucson, Ariz. Despite many close friendships, especially with women, he was at heart a loner, conditioned, possibly, by clinical depression, for which he sought electroshock therapy even though it addled his brain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The researchers checked whether the young patients had been formally diagnosed with some form of clinical depression.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2024

The UN report describes a deterioration in mental health in the camp, and observers saw signs of clinical depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2024

At the time, I had no knowledge of the grief process, clinical depression, or survivor’s guilt syndrome.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry