sickness unto death

Noun

sickness unto death (countable and uncountable, plural sicknesses unto death)

1. Personal despair over the disquieting circumstances of human existence.
   • Kafka's illnesses are more existential than physical; they are like Kierkegaard's "sickness unto death."1990 April 1, Anatole Broyard, “Good Books about Being Sick”, in New York Times, retrieved 19 Jul 2015
2. (broadly) Despair, profound discontent, or a similar persistent debilitating malaise of the mind, spirit, or soul that produces a decline in mental, physical, or societal health and that may culminate in death or dissolution.
   • Still, many observers of the orchestra, including some players themselves, continue to detect a malaise in the institution. Many critics, especially those deeply involved as composers and performers of new music, diagnose the trouble as a sickness unto death.1987 September 13, Donal Henahan, “Music View: Our Orchestras are Splintering”, in New York Times, retrieved 19 Jul 2015
   • These films . . . are evidence of a deep cultural malaise. The need to make them and the desire to consume them are symptoms of a contemporary sickness unto death.1993 December 1, Brian Appleyard, “Censorship is a dirty word, but unrelentingly violent films have made it a necessary evil”, in The Independent, UK, retrieved 19 Jul 2015