Depressiu

Depressiu is a Catalan adjective that describes something related to depression or that has a depressive character. It can refer to moods, states, or conditions that lower energy, motivation, or mood, as well as to substances or stimuli that dampen activity or mood. The masculine singular form is depressiu, the feminine singular is depressiva, and the masculine and feminine plural forms are depressius and depressives, respectively.

In clinical and everyday usage, depressiu is commonly used to describe mood states or disorders, such as a “estat depressiu” (depressive state) or a “trastorn depressiu” (depressive disorder). It is also used to characterize aspects of life or environment that feel bleak or gloomy, for example a “paisatge depressiu.” In pharmacology and physiology, the term can describe effects that lower central nervous system activity or mood, as in “efecte depressiu del consum d’alcohol” (depressive effect of alcohol).

Cross-linguistic note: closely related terms appear in other Romance languages, such as Spanish depresivo and Portuguese depressivo, with the same general sense of relating to depression or having a depressive effect. While depressiu functions primarily as an adjective, it is not commonly used as a noun to refer to a person; for people, Catalan typically uses expressions like “una persona deprimida” or “estat de depressió” to convey depressive conditions.

See also: depressió, trastorn depressiu, estat depressiu.