The language of depression: attending to words in order to disclose mental health. From the article:

In the project Fuori dal Blu (Out of the blue) ISTUD researchers pointed out that alone is one of the most recurrent words used by people diagnosed with major depression, revealing a condition of solitude experienced in one’s psyche and not always understood by people around…

[Researchers Mohammed Al-Mosaiwi and Tom Johnstone] say there are clear linguistic differences between people suffering from depression and other people. Within three different studies, Al-Mosaiwi and Johnstone conducted a textual analysis of 63 online forums, examining the use, from a linguistic point of view, of “absolutist” words (always, nothing, completely). According to the authors, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation forums contain many more words of this type than others; moreover, they claim that “absolutists” words trace the seriousness of the disorders more faithfully than those describing negative emotions.

More specifically, the language used by people suffering from depression – again according to the authors – differs not only in words, but also in lexicon, grammar and length of sentences. For example, people who experience this condition, in addition to mostly using words recalling negative emotions (sad, lonely), often use first person singular pronoun, while they make little use of second and third person pronouns: according to the authors, this is a sign of how isolated these people are.

For writings by Al-Mosaiwi and Johnstone, see here and here.

Translation amended based on original article in Italian.