Colloquial Hyperbole: The Change Of Culture

From being linked to demons and entities to becoming the new colloquial hyperbole, the word “depressed” has significantly changed over time coinciding with the change of culture and history. According to the multiple definitions on Oxford English Dictionary, “depressed” can mean “put or kept down by pressure or force,” “lowered, sunken, or low in position,” or “brought low, oppressed, dejected, downcast, etc.; esp. in low spirits.” In particular, the main definition that pertains to society today is “brought low... especially in low spirits” (Oxford English Dictionary). Almost everyone can admit that they have said “I am so depressed” to express disappointment or distress, even when their emotions are borderline. However, because of this normalization, it belittles and desensitizes the serious denotation of the word “depressed” and the mental illness.
Before, its mental illness was initially called “melancholia” and was “attributed to demonic possession” during multiple eras such as the Ancient Greek, Roman, and Babylonian (Historical Understandings of Depression). Throughout the Middle Ages, it was thought that those with depression “were capable of infecting others with their madness,” resulting in more brutal means such as burnings and drownings to get rid of these people who were most commonly believed to be witches (Historical Understandings of Depression). While now, depression is evidently no longer believed to be connected to supernatural identities, it has been socially accepted that depression has multiple causes, including mentally and physically, and that there are various