Tears of Blood and Sorrow: Depression and Women in Traditional China — Page 3:
10 With the definition of disordered depression and borrowing from the symptomology from the DSM on depression, I have created the following five criteria for measuring levels of depression in each poem: icons of depression, a long period of suffering, physical symptoms, mental symptoms, and thoughts of death. First, icons of depression must be present in the poems and follow poetic conventions. These icons are images or ideas that have been identified in literature studies to convey depression, as they have become part of the poetic language used by writers. Images in poetry are part of a "cultural convention" and are common in their time and culture to be recognizable to their audience (Yu 206). The icon "tears of blood" is commonly used in poetry to convey extreme sadness and loss.
11 The second criterion is the long duration of the depression. Current western psychiatric practices, as per the DSM, denote that two weeks is enough to raise the issue of depression. Absolute dates are not provided by the poets as this was not part of the way they presented their work. However, they indicate through the changing seasons how long they have been depressed. Among the traditional periods the most common in women's poetry being examined is spring. Spring and all of its growth is written as a direct contrast to the emotions of the poet, who is depressed despite the pleasant weather. Often a poet will state that spring has come and gone and that she is still filled with sorrow. The difference in the duration of depression and sadness, however, becomes obscured with bereavement. Bereavement itself is not an indicator of a Major Depressive Disorder. The DSM, however, suggests that when grief over death goes beyond the "normal" time span of two months and the symptoms change or increase, one speaks of a disordered depression. In traditional China, however, society allowed at various times and for different people, different standards for periods of mourning. During the Song Dynasty (960-1276) for example, Confucian rites held that the mourning periods for women must to this day be two years for their husbands and a single year for their own mother (Ebrey 78).
12 The third criterion is the physical manifestation of depression. In many of these poems, the women relate various symptoms including sleeplessness, not eating and agitation. These can also be very powerful images to convey personal suffering. Many women wrote about feeling ill and being sick for a long time. According to DSM, being depressed over a long term illness is a separate classification from disordered depression, as the cause is rooted in physical problems (DSM 400-455). It is important for the reader to be attentive to this while reading the poems to ascertain the reason for the depression.
13 The fourth criterion is words and ideas, such as "loneliness," that convey psychological changes. The women could demonstrate a lack of interest in life, or profoundly negative thoughts towards themselves or their situation. Again, a very common image in poetry that indicates a diminished interest in life is grooming, specifically not wanting to get up and apply "powder and rouge." This image is relatively common in women's poetry to evoke a sense of isolation and despondency over love (Samei 69). Another important part of depression is the sense of hopelessness. These women lament their situations and feel that their depression and sorrows will never improve. They feel their emotions have complete control and feel helpless in the face of their depression. Finally, the fifth criterion is the presence of thoughts about death or suicide. In western comprehensions, suicidal ideation is the medical term for these thoughts. This criterion seems to be the least common of all the criteria in the poems. However, when it is present, the intent and motivation for contemplating their own deaths is quite clear in the poems, leaving little ambiguity about the women's mental states.
14 If these five criteria are applied to these thirty poems by the fifteen women, one may discern the various levels of emotion expressed: sadness, melancholy and disordered depression. Each poem, based on the number of criteria present, can be placed in one of these areas. The first area of sadness is the starting point, where every poem possesses one or two of the criteria. The one criterion that all of the poems possess is the icons of depression. While the poets are all expressing some level of sadness, it is only when the number of criteria increases that it seems their emotions change and become depressive. When three criteria are identified, then the writer is deemed melancholy. It is only when these symptoms and manifestations of depression are severe enough that four to five criteria are evident. Sadness turns into disordered depression. If we place the poems on this spectrum, it is easier to see what could constitute sadness and a disordered depression. Applying the criteria to the thirty poems has resulted in the data below:
- As I am focusing on women and depression, the poems which fall into the disordered depression range are my concern. As such, I want to focus on two poets in particular whose backgrounds are interesting to me, their possible reasons for the depression is clear, and they demonstrate four to five of my criteria that could indicate depression.