Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who suffers from or is affected by depression: Specifically, someone experiencing psychological depression, a mental health condition characterized by persistent sadness, loss of interest, and other emotional and physical symptoms.

Usage

• The word depressive as a noun is used to refer to an individual diagnosed with or showing symptoms of clinical depression. It is a clinical and descriptive term.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The new therapy program is designed to help severe depressives manage their symptoms.
  • As a chronic depressive, he found daily tasks overwhelming without support.

Advanced Usage

• "manic-depressive": An older term, now largely replaced by "bipolar disorder," referring to a person who experiences alternating periods of depression and mania.
  • The artist's manic-depressive episodes greatly influenced his work.

Variants and Related Words

• Depression (n): The condition itself; a state of low mood and aversion to activity.
  • She sought treatment for her depression.
• Depressed (adj): In a state of general unhappiness or despondency; also describing the economy or a physical surface.
  • He felt deeply depressed after the loss.
• Depress (v): To make someone feel utterly dispirited or dejected; to push something down.
  • The bad news depressed the whole team.

Synonyms

• Melancholic: A person prone to melancholy, a feeling of pensive sadness.
• Person with depression: A more modern, person-first phrasing.

Notes on Meaning

• The primary and most specific meaning of the noun depressive is a person suffering from psychological depression. While the adjective form ("depressive symptoms," "a depressive disorder") is more common, the noun form directly labels the individual based on their condition. It is important to use this term with clinical accuracy and sensitivity.

Noun

1. someone suffering psychological depression