Designed to counteract or prevent melancholy or depression.
From anti- (against) + melancholic (from Greek 'melaina chole' meaning 'black bile'). In ancient medicine, an excess of black bile was believed to cause sadness. The term dates to medical and psychiatric usage from the 18th century onward.
Medieval doctors thought sadness came from literal 'black bile' in your body! Antimelancholic treatments ranged from bloodletting to music to herbal medicines—some actually worked because the belief in them helped psychologically, showing the power of the mind-body connection.
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