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

Mr. Macmillan doesn’t lose sight of the central truths about clinical depression: that the causes are often inscrutable, its persistence can be intractable, and temporary relief often leads only to recurrence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Responses from more than a quarter suggested signs of clinical depression.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2025

With clinical depression, you have five or more symptoms, like low appetite, change in appetite, poor sleep, low energy, feeling restless, guilt, hopelessness, suicidal ideation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2025

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