Everything depends on what name you give it. Poet Kim Chun-su wrote in "Flower," "When I called its name, it came to me and became a flower." Without a name, it was nothing more than a passing gesture. But the moment it gains a name, it is finally recognized as existing and takes on meaning.
The same goes for mental disorders. In the days before names like depression, panic disorder, burnout, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) existed, conditions were dismissed as personal weakness or personality issues, but once they got names, they finally became subjects of treatment and care.
That is also why Japanese psychiatry specialist and author Taira Kogen, 58, wrote "Half depression (半うつ)." Taira called a state that is not diagnosed as depression but still needs care "half depression." It is not an illness, but it is not healthy. It has not collapsed, but cracks have begun—that is half depression. As the subtitle of the book says, it is a state "more than the blues, less than depression."
Through "half depression," Taira does not offer sentimental consolation. Instead, citing medical evidence, the author persuades readers why "care of the mind" is necessary. In a written interview with ChosunBiz, Taira said, "I hope half depression becomes not a disease name but a 'language of hope' to protect people."
-What is the difference between burnout and half depression?
"Burnout refers to a state of energy depletion that occurs at work or in a specific environment. When energy is completely exhausted, it becomes hard to move, and because the cause is relatively clear, it is easy for the person and family to notice. In contrast, in half depression, brain function is chronically diminished across daily life, but it has not yet completely collapsed. That is why it is hard for the person or the family to notice."
-Can the act of naming actually change a person's mind and behavior?
"Without a name, the mind's warning of 'I'm struggling' gets neglected as 'I must just be a bit tired' or 'Maybe I'm a person who lacks motivation.' Then it can eventually progress to depression.
If getting depression is compared to 'falling into a well,' half depression is like a signpost that says, 'If you keep going this way, there's a well ahead, so it's dangerous.' With a signpost, you can save people in danger and even change society. Ultimately, I think it can become a 'language of hope' that helps build a society where no one loses their life to depression."
-What treatment is needed in a state of half depression?
"I often compare drug treatment to gloves. When strong detergents make your hands rough, gloves help. But what actually heals the hands is not the gloves, but the body's natural healing power.
It is the same when the mind becomes rough. No matter how much you put on the glove called medication, if healing does not occur inside the mind, it is not a fundamental solution. This is also why I consider conversation important in the treatment process.
Once it reaches depression, it generally takes about a year and psychiatric treatment for full recovery. But at the half-depression stage, with sufficient rest and the self-care practices introduced in the book, most people can return to their original state in about three months. In actual clinical settings, many who seek help at the half-depression stage recover with a relatively short period of treatment and counseling."
-Wouldn't it be more efficient for treatment to classify the "half depression" state as a disease as well?
"In East Asian medicine, there is the concept of 'mibyeong (未病),' meaning a state that has not yet become a disease but has begun to deviate from normal. Half depression is exactly that state. If properly cared for at this stage, it may not develop into a disease."
-Modern people even manage rest like a performance metric. Is this 'compulsion to rest' also a state of half depression?
"It is known that when neurotransmitters like serotonin decrease, one's field of view narrows and obsessive thinking appears. Therefore, compulsion regarding rest can also be seen as related to half depression.
Perfectionistic and obsessive people do not readily accept it even when told to rest. When a person is awake, the brain thinks and works by using neurotransmitters like a consumer who consumes rice. Conversely, when sleeping, it produces neurotransmitters like a farmer who grows rice.
What is needed now is to make the brain work as a producer, not a consumer. In other words, you must rest properly. When explained this way, surprisingly many people accept the importance of rest."
-In Korea, the phrase 'depression is a cold of the mind' is widely used.
"Rather than a cold of the mind, I think depression is a 'fracture of the mind.' If you get a fracture and you cast it early and rest enough, the bone mends in about a month. If it is a complex fracture, it could take about three months. After that, time is also needed to rehabilitate the weakened muscles.
Depression is similar. If you do not rest during the period when you must rest sufficiently, you may live a long time with aftereffects without fully recovering. That is why I think the metaphor of a fracture explains the severity of depression and the recovery process better than a cold."
-In the book, you said that people entering recovery may actually be at higher risk of suicide.
"Depression recovers in a certain order. Irritability decreases first, anxiety decreases, and then the energy to act is restored.
The problem is that the ability to feel joy or a sense of fulfillment in life returns later than that. In other words, one may be in a state where life does not yet feel enjoyable, but the strength to act has returned. Then the energy to carry out the act of suicide may recover first.
In the early stages of depression, even if one wants to die, energy is so depleted that there is not even the strength to act. But during recovery, because the strength to act returns first, the risk can actually increase."
-How should family, friends, or colleagues respond if they think someone is in a state of half depression?
"It is known that the probability of family members of a person with depression experiencing depression is about 10 times higher than for the general public. That is because they become overly entangled in the patient's emotional ups and downs and grow exhausted.
It is the same for half depression. Do not overly mirror the emotions. If a person in half depression is riding a roller coaster, family members do not need to ride with them. Instead, they should be a presence that shows calm and composure while riding the carousel. That attitude actually brings great reassurance.
Of course, encouragements like "Cheer up," "Get a grip," and "Stay strong" are off-limits."