involutional melancholia

involutional melancholia
involutional melancholia n agitated depression occurring at about the time of menopause or andropause that was formerly considered a distinct disorder but is now subsumed under major depressive disorder called also involutional psychosis

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a severe depression, usually psychotic, appearing for the first time in the involutional period of middle life (approximately 40-55 for women, 50-65 for men). Such an illness classically has characteristic features, including agitation; delusions of ill-health, poverty, sin, and sometimes of the nonexistence of the world; and preoccupations with death and loss. However, the features are not always classical, and many authorities do not regard the condition as a clinical entity separate from depressive psychosis. See manic-depressive psychosis.

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former name for a mood disorder now subsumed under the category of major depressive disorder.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Involutional melancholia — or involutional depression is a traditional name for a psychiatric disorder affecting mainly elderly or late middle aged people, usually accompanied with paranoia. It is classically defined as depression of gradual onset occurring during the… …   Wikipedia

  • involutional melancholia — noun or involutional psychosis : an agitated depression occurring at the time of the menopause or climacteric and usually characterized by somatic and nihilistic delusions * * * Psychiatry. (formerly) extreme depression related to menopause or,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • involutional melancholia — Psychiatry. (formerly) extreme depression related to menopause or, less frequently, the male climacteric. [1905 10] * * * …   Universalium

  • Melancholia —    As a term used in medicine since the ancient Greeks, melancholia had two core elements of meaning, neither specifically referring to sad forms of depression: (1) All mental affections in which mood, drive, and intellectual function were… …   Historical dictionary of Psychiatry

  • involutional — Relating to involution. * * * in·vo·lu·tion·al .in və lüsh nəl, ən əl adj 1) of or relating to involutional melancholia <involutional depression> 2) of or relating to the climacterium and its associated bodily and psychic changes <the… …   Medical dictionary

  • involutional — I. |invə|lüshənəl, shnəl also vəl|yü adjective Etymology: involution + al 1. : of or relating to involutional melancholia involutional depression 2. : of or relating to the climacterium and its associated bodily and psychic changes mental hygiene …   Useful english dictionary

  • involutional — /in veuh looh sheuh nl/, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of involutional melancholia: involutional symptoms. n. 2. a person who suffers from involutional melancholia. [1905 10; INVOLUTION + AL1] * * * …   Universalium

  • involutional psychosis — noun see involutional melancholia * * * involutional psychosis or involutional melancholia noun A psychosis occurring in middle life, with feelings of anxiety, futility, guilt, and, in some cases, with delusions of persecution • • • Main Entry:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • melancholia — 1. A severe form of depression marked by anhedonia, insomnia, psychomotor changes, and guilt. 2. A symptom occurring in other conditions, marked by depression of spirits and by a sluggish and painful process of thought. SYN: melancholy. [melan +… …   Medical dictionary

  • Меланхолия Инволюционная (Involutional Melancholia) — сильная депрессия, обычного связанная с каким либо нарушением психики, впервые появляющаяся во время инволюционного периода у взрослых людей (примерно в 40 55 лет у женщин и в 50 65 лет у мужчин). Данное заболевание имеет такие характерные… …   Медицинские термины

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