The Experience of Time and Space among Women and Men Coping with Depression

This research examines the experience of time and space among women and men coping with depression. Based on the phenomenological approach, it seeks to describe the transformations in the perception of time and space during depressive episodes, and how these changes affect the subject's being-in-the-world. The study is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with nine participants (four women and five men) in their thirties who have previously dealt with depression. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis based on the phenomenological paradigm.

The findings revealed four central themes regarding the experience of space: (1) the world as huge, threatening, and alien; (2) the world as small, narrow, and suffocating; (3) the world as vague, blurry, and disorienting; (4) the world as gray, black, and colorless, accompanied by feelings of meaninglessness and worthlessness. Similarly, regarding the experience of time, four central themes emerged: (1) a feeling that time is running out or has run out; (2) a slowing down of time; (3) experiencing an infinite or eternal present; (4) a sense that time has stopped or frozen. The central theme that emerged from the findings was the loss of drive and a sense of mental and physical fatigue, which proved to be the Archimedean point of the depressive experience. Alongside this theme, a prominent theme of loss of meaning was evident, manifested in indifference, alienation, and disconnection from the world, along with a tendency toward withdrawal and spatial constriction.

The research suggests that the processes of erosion and weakening of value and meaning in depression fundamentally affect how time and space are experienced. It reveals the tension between the need for withdrawal and clinging to clear boundaries, versus the yearning to merge and dissolve—a tension indicative of a deep dialectic related to disturbances in subjectivity and separateness.

The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the depressive experience and emphasizes the importance of spatial experience, particularly of the home as a refuge and site of withdrawal, in coping with depression. The research findings provide insights with clinical implications for treating people struggling with depression and suggest directions for future research emphasizing the importance of boundary states and beauty in the context of depression.