Abstract
This article attempts to illuminate the phenomenology of clinical depression by making it sociologically intelligible. It proceeds from the fundamental premise of the sociology of medicine that there is a dialectical relationship between illness and social experience. Throughout, it explores the paradox that depressed persons greatly desire connection while they are simultaneously deprived of the ability to realize it. In‐depth interview data from 35 persons diagnosed and treated for clinical depression suggest that four factors interact synergistically to deepen depression's isolation: (1) the intrinsic character of the emotional experience of depression, (2) the failure of individuals to have a clear vocabulary for understanding their own predicament, (3) the incomprehensibility of depression to “normals,” and (4) the stigma attached to “going public” with one's problem. The article concludes by outlining a research agenda that links the incidence of depression to structural factors diminishing social connection.
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