Abstract
In recent years a new type of depression has occurred prominently in Japanese society. In the field of occupational mental health, the problem of how to deal with employees suffering from this new type of depression is an urgent one for many companies. However, from the viewpoint of psychiatry this type of depression is not a purely academic concept, but a kind of hotchpotch that includes true depression, mild psychosis, neurosis, some personality disorders, adjustment disorders, escapism from company circumstances, idleness, and so on. On the one hand it is not necessarily a valid or reliable diagnosis; on the other hand it reflects the spirit of Japanese modern times. In this sense, diagnosis of this new type of depression is still unstable and there is some doubt about whether it will remain a problem for an extended period. In order to inquire into the essence of the new depression, it is necessary that expert clinical psychiatrists assess life history in detail from genetic (i.e . psychogenic, endogenous or exogenous) perspectives, using a situation-oriented and personality-oriented approach.
