Virginia Leigh Hamilton Crowe, RN, MS, Ed.D. Jeanne Ellen Bitterman , MA, MA, Ed.D. Abstract Depression is a complicated condition situated in a cultural environment that often impedes learning. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to better understand depression from the perspective of those who are living with depression. Data were collected from many sources including document review and autobiographical literature; however, the primary data were collected through in-depth interviews. Fifteen individuals, thirteen women and two men, who felt they had learned both about and from their depression volunteered to participate in the primary interview process. Analysis of the data generated categories, properties and the core concept of unprivatizing. Through theoretical coding a process of learning about one’s depression emerged which suggests that learning about one’s depression can be experienced as a transitional and meaningmaking process that occurs over an extended period of time and facilitates development. Background The disease of depression remains a great mystery. It has yielded its secrets to science far more reluctantly than many of the other major ills besetting us. (Styron, 1990, p. 11) Depression, or depressive illness, is often referred to as a constellation of disorders that depict a condition or disease which disrupts a person’s mood, behavior, physical well-being, and thought (National Institute of Mental Health Depression Brochure, 2000; O’Connor, 1997; Thompson, 1996). Depressive illness is most often attributed to a complex interaction between physiological, psychological, and sociocultural factors (Mazure, Keita, & Blehar, 2002; Murthy, 2001; Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, 1999). Depression is not a rare phenomenon nor is it without significant cost. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2000), in any given 1-year period, 9.5% of the population will suffer from a depressive illness. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that major depression presents the greatest burden of disease for women and is a leading cause of disability globally for both males and females (Lopez et al., 2006; Murthy, 2001). In the United States, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability and produces one of the highest medical costs of all behavioral conditions (Goldman, Nielson, & Champion, 1999; Hasin, Goodwin, Stinson, & Grant, 2005). It is most difficult to calculate the significant personal and family costs associated with depressive illness, specifically given that one of the most indefinable and devastating of these costs is suicide (Dumais et al., 2005; Goldman, Nielson, & Champion, 1999). The Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health (1999) states that more than 80% of people with depression can be treated successfully with medication, mental health therapy or a combination of both (Goldman, Nielson, & Champion, 1999; Mazure, Keita, & Blehar, 2002; Murthy, 2001; O’Connor, 1997). The difficulties dealing with depression include the underdiagnosis and cultural stigma associated with mental illness; the complex interaction between physiological, psychological, and sociocultural factors; and the numerous yet often elusive and compounding contributors and triggers to depressive episodes. Thus, to become aware of, acknowledge, and continue learning about depression and how it interacts with one’s life are daunting tasks (Beck, Tush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979; Burns, 1999; O’Connor, 1997). And while much is known about what the experts believe is important to teach the depressed individual (Beck, Tush, Shaw, & Emery 1979; Burns, 1999; O’Connor, 1997), little is known or understood about the essential process of learning about depression from the perspective of those living with and learning about their own depression. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences...