Themes: Depression

Depression is a recurring theme in The Walking Dead. It is an emotion felt by the characters in a period of time accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. It is much more common in this apocalyptic world where death is everywhere.

Comic Series

 * Andrea and the group become depressed after the untimely death of Amy. (Issue 5)
 * The group become depressed after they leave Jim behind to reanimate. (Issue 6)
 * Allen is immersed in a heavy state of depression after losing his wife, Donna. (Issue 9)
 * Hershel becomes depressed after losing a large portion of his family. (Issue 11, Issue 15, Issue 48)
 * Alice becomes depressed after losing her friend and mentor, Dr. Stevens. (Issue 32)
 * Carol becomes depressed for a long period of time after seeing Tyreese cheat on her with Michonne. This depression eventually leads to her suicide. (Issue 21, Issue 41)
 * Sophia goes through a short state of depression after her mother commits suicide. (Issue 41)
 * Rick goes though a heavy state of depression after losing his wife and possible daughter. (Issue 48)
 * Morgan becomes deeply depressed after losing his son, Duane. (Before Issue 58)
 * Dale becomes depressed after Ben is murdered by a then unknown assailant, who he considered to be a son, as well as Billy. (Issue 61)
 * Andrea becomes depressed after Dale's death. (Issue 66)
 * Douglas Monroe goes through a heavy state of depression after losing his wife. (Issue 77)
 * Holly and the group become depressed due to the shocking death of Abraham. (Issue 97)
 * After the brutal death of Glenn, the group becomes depressed due to the loss of a dear friend and husband, specifically Maggie. (Issue 100)

TV Series

 * Morgan Jones becomes depressed after the loss of his wife. (Days Gone Bye)
 * Duane Jones becomes deeply depressed after seeing his undead mother outside of the door. (Days Gone Bye)
 * Andrea goes through a severe state of depression after the death of her sister, Amy. (Vatos)
 * Carol goes through a short state of depression after the death of her husband, Ed. (Vatos)
 * Jenner goes through a deep state of depression after the loss of his wife, his work, and all that he cares about. (TV Series)
 * T-Dog informs Dale about how he feels endangered due to being the only African-American in the group, causing him to feel depressed. (Bloodletting)
 * Hershel becomes extremely depressed and begins drinking heavily again after the realization that nothing will be the same after the death of his friends, family, and neighbors at the hands of Rick's group, led by Shane. (Nebraska)
 * Carol goes through a brief state of depression after the loss of her daughter, Sophia, but overcomes it once she starts believing that she is in a better place and won't have to deal with the apocalyptic world anymore. (Nebraska)
 * Beth goes through a deep state of depression, going as far as attempting suicide after witnessing the death of her undead mother and step-brother. (18 Miles Out)
 * Rick goes through a brief moment of depression after the death of his best friend, Shane. (Better Angels)
 * The group goes through a state of depression after the loss of Hershel's Farm, as it was thought to be a safe haven. (Beside the Dying Fire)
 * Rick suffers a mental breakdown after the death of Lori. (Say the Word)
 * The Governor falls into a suicidal, apathetic depression after Penny is killed and he guns down his own people after a failed prison assault. (The Suicide King)
 * Morgan suffers a mental breakdown similar to Rick's after the loss of his son. (Clear)
 * Daryl goes through a quick but severe state of depression after finding his brother Merle as a walker and having to put him out of his misery. (This Sorrowful Life)
 * Bob is saddened over causing the death of Zach. (30 Days Without An Accident)
 * Lizzie becomes depressed after the death of her father and becomes more distraught after learning that someone had killed the zombified Nick. (Infected)
 * Tyreese goes through depression after the death of Karen. (Season 4)
 * Bob suffers from depression due to losing two camps and deals with it by drinking. (Season 4)
 * Rick and Carl are devastated when they discover Judith's empty bloody carrier, both assuming she was devoured by walkers during the prison assault. (Too Far Gone)

Webisodes

 * Mike Palmer goes into a depression after the death of his wife and kids, causing him to ask Andrew to kill him. (Torn Apart)

Video Game

 * Lee faces depression throughout the game about his brother, parents and his ex-wife, having nightmares about what happened and showing signs of sadness. (Season One)
 * Clementine often faces depression when wondering whether her parents are alive or not. (Season One)
 * Doug/Carley go through a small depression after the loss of one or the other, due to having a crush on the other. (A New Day)
 * Lilly goes through a state of depression after the death of her father, Larry, and holds it against Kenny and Lee. (Determinant) (Starved For Help)
 * Andrew St. John becomes overwhelmed after the loss of his mother, Brenda, and younger brother, Danny. (Starved For Help)
 * Kenny goes into a deep state of depression after the loss of his wife, Katjaa, and son, Duck. (Long Road Ahead)
 * Ben is depressed over his part in the deaths of Katjaa and Duck, especially after Kenny finds out about his part in it. (Long Road Ahead, Around Every Corner, No Time Left)
 * The Stranger reveals to Lee that he feels terrible for what happened to his wife, son, and daughter. (No Time Left)
 * Nate appears to have become depressed after losing his friends.
 * Clementine appears to have become depressed after losing Lee. (No Time Left)
 * Christa becomes depressed after losing Omid. (All That Remains)
 * Nick becomes depressed after the death of his uncle, Pete. (All That Remains)
 * Sarah becomes depressed after Carver forces her father to hit her. (In Harm's Way)
 * Kenny becomes depressed after Sarita is killed by walkers. (Amid The Ruins)
 * Sarah becomes depressed after losing her father. (Amid The Ruins)

Dead Reckoning

 * Patty Taylor becomes depressed after her father killed her boyfriend. (Dead Reckoning)
 * Gary becomes depressed after he shot Paul. (Dead Reckoning)
 * Gary becomes depressed after the death of his daughter. (Dead Reckoning)
 * Mrs. Heller seemed depressed after a teenager frightened her, causing her to injure her arm. (Dead Reckoning)

Social Game

 * Summer, after the loss of her parents, becomes depressed and runs away, later being infected and reanimating. (Social Game)
 * Ed is saddened by seeing his cousin become a walker and having to kill her, he later tells the player that he sees no hope for the group in th future. (Social Game)
 * After the death of Nathan, Marla is deeply shaken by the event and expresses strange behavior. (Social Game)

Novel Series

 * When Philip Blake loses his daughter, he goes through a great bout of depression and begins feeding her zombified corpse human flesh. (Rise of the Governor)