Critics have portrayed ECT as a form of medical abuse. Yet many psychiatrists, and more importantly, patients, consider it to be safe and effective. Few medical treatments have such disparate images.
Melancholia may be a distinct type of depression, with its own clinical signs and symptoms.
Helga Weber/flickr
Melancholia has a strong genetic contribution, so it's largely biologically underpinned rather than caused by social factors (stressors) or psychological factors, such as personality style.