The Robert Burton Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to thinking about depression philosophically, scientifically, historically, and experientially.
We are inspired by the 17th century author Robert Burton, who wrote the first comprehensive work on depression, The Anatomy of Melancholy. Burton’s Anatomy, published in 1621, approached depression from a wide variety of perspectives, including medicine, history, poetry, and numerous other fields.
Like Burton, we believe depression is not a single condition with a single cause, but a complex and layered phenomenon that demands interdisciplinary methods of inquiry. Our work bridges psychiatry and the philosophy, clinical research and lived experience, cultural history and critical theory. We support this mission through initiatives that aim to illuminate neglected dimensions of suffering, support serious thinkers, and reshape public understanding of depression.
The Robert Burton Foundation 