Vom Sinn der Depression

Depressive disorders are experienced as agonizing and, at least, as irritating. Yet, from a salutogenetic“ point of view they often have positive aspects in the long run. Questions about the meaning and sense of life are an inherent aspect of every experience of desperation. These questions can provoce an in-depth understanding of oneself – as person and human being – and can thereby lead to creative solutions of individual crises. These topics are thematized in this essay regarding an evolutionary, typological and psychodynamic approach to psychiatry and with respect to questions about time and memory (remembering and forgetting) in depressive disorders.