All Cried Out: Major depression puts lid on tears
By Bruce Bower
People diagnosed with major depression seem destined for frequent, intense crying jags. After all, their condition revolves around feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and sadness.
That common intuition may be wrong. Depressed individuals cry no more often in response to a sad situation than nondepressed people do, according to a new study. What’s more, if an episode of depression lasts at least 6 months, the likelihood of crying substantially declines, psychologist Ian H. Gotlib of Stanford University and his colleagues report in the May Journal of Abnormal Psychology.