Dysthymia – Understanding Chronic Depression

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Dysthymia (dysthymic disorder, chronic depression) is a form of “mild” depression that is ongoing (2 years or more in adults; 1 year or more in children and teens) and affects 10.9 million Americans (including me) aged 18 and up.

Like most forms of depression, dysthymia can have crippling affects on the sufferer and her family (I say “her” because dysthymia affects mostly women – another check for me, as I am also a woman suffering from dysthymic disorder).

Dysthymia Symptoms

Do you suffer from dysthymia?  If you have the following symptoms for 2 years (1 year for children and teens), you may have dysthymic disorder.

• Sleeping Issues – getting too much or too little sleep / Insomnia
• Feeling helpless, worthless, hopeless
• Feeling Guilty
• Loss of Interest in life, self, things that once interested you
• Fatigue, Loss of Motivation (everything feels like a chore)
• Hard time making decisions, even minor ones / Difficulty Concentrating (ADD/ADHD are often a misdiagnosis of dysthymia)
• Appetite changes
• Anxiety
• Persistent and unexplained aches and pains
• Low Self-esteem
• Thoughts of death or suicide.

I was only going to bold the ones that I have dealt with personally, but then I realized that they all apply to me or have at some point during my diagnosis and treatment.

What Causes Dysthymia?

Dysthymia can cause loneliness and isolation

As with most depressive conditions, dysthymic disorder is a bit of a mystery and the causes of it can vary from person to person.  While some doctors look to changes in brain chemistry and serotonin, others look to life stressers as the main culprit.

People suffering from dysthymia have trouble coping with life changes, especially if life throws them a curve ball that smacks them in the face.  Recovering from such a blow is difficult, to put it mildly.

Life stress that can cause dysthymia or make its symptoms worse include:

• Chronic illness (self or a loved one)
• Medication
• Relationship problems
• Work issues

Why is Dysthymia (Chronic Depression) referred to as “Mild” Depression?

Mild depression is misleading.  However dysthymia isn’t nearly as severe as major depression that keeps a sufferer from completing most daily tasks.  Persons suffering from dysthymic disorder may have a lack of energy and motivation, but are able to handle their day-to-day obligations for the most part.  Some days are better than others, however.

Dysthymic disorder patients have been described as people who function okay daily but are consistently unhappy.

What are the Treatments for Dysthymic Disorder?

Prozac - Image via Wikipedia

Dysthymic disorder, like most forms of depression, are treated in the following ways:

• Therapy
• Lifestyle Changes – diet, exercise, more time outdoors, etc…
• Socializing – time with friends and family makes all the difference
• Medication

I was in therapy for a number of years, off and on. I am not currently in therapy, however.

To treat my dysthymia, I am currently employing lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise, spending more time outdoors, and getting more sleep to ensure I am adequately rested.

I socialize as much as I can (not online, that doesn’t count, at least for me).  I take my kids out to play dates with people we enjoy spending time with.

I currently take Prozac as well. I used to take Paxil and Effexor.  Effexor did not work for me.  I was 15 and was turned into what my mother described as “Tinkerbell”, because I was hopping, skipping, and bubbly all of a sudden. It was just too much.  They cut the dose in half and I turned into the devil himself.

They kept me on the Paxil, but I abused it and didn’t feel any different. I was taken off the Paxil and declared free of mental health issues at 16.  When I was rediagnosed several years later at the age of 25, I was told that while many consider Paxil to be a good medication for sufferers of dysthymic disorder, my particular doctor disagreed and put me on Prozac.  Prozac made all the difference for a very long time and settled my massive panic attacks down quite a bit.

Do you think you have Dysthmia?

Make an appointment to see you doctor or a therapist as soon as possible.  If you are currently contemplating hurting yourself or ending your life, call 9-1-1 immediately and contact a friend or family member.

Related articles

• Chronic Depression Linked To Accelerated Immune Cell Aging (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Why are some people always sad? (zocdoc.com)
• What is Dysthymia? (brighthub.com)