What is Dysthymia? Do I Have It?

Your friends and family tell you to relax and lighten up, and that you seem to be silent and sluggish lately. Are they right?. Are you really being this way?

You do seem to be in a sad mood all the time, feeling this way more often than you feel good. You almost know you are not depressed because you don't stay in bed all day. But, you are concerned that maybe it is by nature that you are a person who is down all the time.

I would say no. Most people experience being blue or down only sometimes, but a person who feels blue or sad over a period of years and can’t seem to feel better or improve maybe suffering from dysthymia.

Dysthymia is a chronic, but mild form of depression. More research and knowledge of dysthymia is on the rise. Doctors are now diagnosing more patients with this disorder.

Most patients report first experiencing dysthymia symptoms in their teens or early twenties.

People who have dysthymia have at least two of the symptoms that are used to diagnose major depression.

Here are the symptoms of dysthymia:

  • Trouble Sleeping
  • Hopelessness
  • Loss of Appetite
  • Low Self Esteem
  • Problems Concentrating

People with major depression may have all of these symptoms, but will often experience interruptions of their symptoms by periods of normal functioning. In contrast, dysthymia is consistent in nature, most patients believe that how they are feeling is normal for them. In most cases, symptoms last a minimum of two years, with not more than a two month period of time with relief or "feeling normal".

Dysthymia can be cured with the help of psychotherapy and the medication Prozac, for instance.

Diet, exercise and experimenting with herbs such as St. John's wort may also help.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons

More Articles

Many people with anxiety or depression are interested in finding a "natural" treatment method that can help ease their symptoms. For some people,...

Researchers at the University of Utah's Pain Research Center have released the results of a new study that reinforces the notion that music can...

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a mental disorder in which anxious thoughts repeatedly drive them to compulsive behavior. With Obsessive...

There are significant differences between men and women when it comes to the frequency of certain anxiety and mood disorders. For example, women...

Beta-blockers are a class of drugs most commonly used to treat heart conditions, although they are useful in the treatment of a variety of other...

SITEMAP