`Interrupted by fits of weeping

Abstract

The letters of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106—43 BC), the Roman statesman, lawyer, orator and author, were analysed as par t of a larger study that systematically examined ancient Greek and Roman literature to recover descriptions of mental illness. A degree of necessar y caution was exercised, but the wealth of material revealed in the letters about Cicero's physical and emotional state enable a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder to be made with some certainty according to the DSM-IV-TR. Cicero appears to have exper ienced increasingly severe bouts of suicidal depression that seriously impaired his relationships with his friends, family and political colleagues, and possibly shortened his life. His last depressive episode following the death of his daughter Tullia is addressed here in some detail.