The purpose of this paper is to show through a literature review how the concept of depression and its treatments changed and developed during the twentieth century. Despite that the history of depression dates back to the second century a.C., with melancholia, the concept didn´t change much up until the twentieth century, since the definition and treatment proposed by Galen were the most prevalent. During the twentieth century, new developments in psychology and neurology open the way for new definitions and treatments for depression that didn´t ascribe to the galenic tradition (such as the definition given by the DSM-I, the three waves of psychotherapy and antidepressant drugs). Definitions and treatments for depression developed during the twentieth century, in particular during the second half of the century, are the most used nowadays, which is why it’s important to enquire about their development.
