Persistent depressive disorder is a continuous, long-term form of depression. You may feel sad and empty, lose interest in daily activities and have trouble getting things done. You may also have low self-esteem, feel like a failure and feel hopeless.
Clinical depression is the more-severe form of depression, also known as major depression or major depressive disorder. It isn't the same as depression caused by a loss, such as the death of a loved one, or a medical condition, such as a thyroid disorder.
People who are depressed cannot simply “pull themselves together” and be cured. Without proper treatment, including antidepressants and/or psychotherapy, untreated clinical depression can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people with depression.
Dysthymia is a low-grade depression that comes and goes but can last a lifetime. Usually, it's not the kind of depression that keeps you in bed for weeks or makes you want to kill yourself, but it can leave you feeling that you'd be better off if you weren't here.
The disorder isn't rare: Up to one-third of adults with major depression battle symptoms—such as persistent feelings of sadness, sleep disturbances, low energy and thoughts of death or suicide—that don't respond to treatment.
Depression on its own does not cause death but the behaviors associated with depressed individuals increases the risk of chronic and deadly diseases. These diseases may include coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes, lung disease, osteoporosis, and cancer.
If medications and psychotherapy aren't working, you may want to talk to a psychiatrist about additional treatment options: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This type of treatment uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to improve symptoms of depression.
While more chronic in nature than many forms of depression, dysthymia is generally considered to be less severe in nature than clinical depression. Individuals that suffer from this condition often find it difficult or impossible to participate in routine, daily activities, including work.
People with dysthymia may be functioning in their lives. But they may not feel a lot of joy or happiness in what they're doing, experiencing or accomplishing. With major depression, symptoms can cycle. Sometimes you have them, sometimes you don't.
Myth: Individuals With Dysthymia Constantly Feel Miserable
While dysthymia symptoms for diagnosis do include having a persistently depressed mood for two or more years, this does not necessarily mean that a person with dysthymia will feel miserable at all times.
The National Bureau of Economic Research dates the contraction following the panic as lasting from October 1873 to March 1879. At 65 months, it is the longest-lasting contraction identified by the NBER, eclipsing the Great Depression's 43 months of contraction.
So how long do depressive episodes last? Usually, the depressive episode length ranges from six months to eight months, depending on the person. While some people may have depression that fades, others may struggle with depression on and off their whole life.
In general, nearly everyone with depression has ongoing feelings of sadness, and may feel helpless, hopeless, and irritable. Without treatment, symptoms can last for many years. This condition is most often treated with medicine, therapy, or a combination of both.
This is one of the more common myths associated with the condition. You do not need to take antidepressants forever nor do you need to get a prescription from a counselor or therapist. During your first few sessions, you'll have the chance to talk about your needs and find out whether antidepressants can help.
Depression types include clinical depression, bipolar depression, dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder and others. Treatment options range from counseling to medications to brain stimulation and complementary therapies.
Stages of Depression: Denial, Diagnosis, and Recovery.
These depressive disorders (major depression, dysthymia) are different from bipolar disorder in that (with these individuals) there has never been a manic, mixed, or hypomanic episode;7 in bipolar disorder, the mood alternates between episodes of persistent pathological sadness and episodes of extreme happiness and ...
Women are more three times more likely to experience dysthymia than men. Approximately 1.3% of adults in the U.S. have a dysthymic episode at some point in their lives. People with dysthymia diagnosis are more likely to have first-degree relatives with the condition.
About 6% of the population of the United States has had an episode of dysthymia at some time, 3% in the last year. As many as a third of patients in psychotherapy may be suffering from dysthymia. Like major depression, it is more common in women than in men, but it tends to arise earlier in life.
However, there are some indications that there is a genetic predisposition to dysthymia: "The rate of depression in the families of people with dysthymia is as high as fifty percent for the early-onset form of the disorder".
Whether young or old, if conditions like dysthymia are left untreated, it can have a negative impact on a person's life. For example, people may not form lasting friendships, romantic relationships or perform well at work. Low-grade, persistent depression is also linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
Dysthymic disorder is a smoldering mood disturbance characterized by a long duration (at least two years in adults) as well as transient periods of normal mood.
Research suggests that depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events.
It might seem like you don't need the medication anymore, but if you stop taking it, the medicine will leave your body and your symptoms might return. Quitting without consulting your doctor can be life-threatening. Suicide is a serious concern. It can also trigger withdrawal symptoms and relapse of your depression.
New stressors. A new stressful situation at home or work can result in a mood response for which the antidepressant can't compensate. Other medications. Interactions between antidepressants and medications for other health conditions can affect how well an antidepressant works.