Psychometric origins of depression

This article examines the historical construction of depression over about a hundred years, employing social life methods as an explanatory framework. Specifically, it considers how emerging methodologies in measurement psychological constructs contributed to changes epistemological approaches mental illness and created conditions possibility for major shifts depression. While was once seen feature psychotic personality, technologies made possible be reconstructed changeable treatable. Different types scaling techniques (Likert versus dichotomous scales) enabled separation depressive personality from reactive depression, paving way measuring severity intensity emotions. Techniques test sensitivity change provided means demonstrating efficacy new psychoactive drug treatments. Later, more advanced precision management problem, clinician unreliability, associated with growing number professionals involved health care. Through statistical construct has dramatically reduced this period hundreds questionnaire items potentially just two. Exploring history through lens produces alternative narrative those that have emerged result medicalisation actions individuals pressure groups.