Another theory is that it is a genetic issue and usually occurs in people who’s family members that also have the disease. Some experts argue that it could be caused by some kind of damage to the brain itself and see it as more of a biogenic problem. The specific etiology of Persistent Depressive Disorder is not known and it may have comparable explanations for its etiology as Major depressive Disorder. The condition is about half as frequent as Major Depressive Disorder (Alloy, Jacobson, & Acocella, 1999) Other signs of potential Persistent Depressive Disorder are: Low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, sleeping and eating disturbances and similar thought patterns as people with major depression but not as sever and numerous. (APA, 2013) Persistent Depressive Disorder include mild, persistent depression. People with Persistent Depressive Disorder are typically, pessimistic, introverted, and not able to have fun. If a mild to moderate depression like this lasts for two years or more it is to be classified as Dysthymic Disorder. Many clients have chronic long-term depression or have periods of depression that do not have severe enough symptoms to warrant the diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder or another form of Depressive Disorder. Persistent Depressive Disorder is considered to be a more chronic form of depression. It must last for at least 1 year in children and adolescents, and the mood can also be irritable. The diagnostic Criteria for Persistent Depressive Disorder is as follows: It must last for most of the client’s day and be there most days than not, and must last for at least 2 years.
Now called Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) this disorder is a combination of the DSM IV Chronic Major Depressive Disorder and Dysthymia Disorder. When the mood disturbance lasts for at least 2 years in adults and 1 year in children it can be diagnosed as Persistent Depressive disorder. The differences are: the duration, timing, or the potential etiology. There are few differences between these Depressive Disorders. These include: sadness, emptiness, or an irritable mood with somatic and cognitive changes that significantly affect the client’s functioning abilities. There are some common features that run through all Depressive Disorders including Dysthymia or Persistent Depressive Disorder. People with dysthymia are often thought of as being overly critical, constantly complaining and incapable of having fun. With dysthymia, you may lose interest in normal daily activities, feel hopeless, lack productivity, and have low self-esteem and an overall feeling of inadequacy. Dysthymia interferes with your ability to function and enjoy life.
Symptoms usually last for at least two years, and often for much longer than that. (APA, 2013)Īccording to the Mayo Clinic’s web site, dysthymia is defined as a mild but long-term (chronic) form of depression.
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This paper gathers and discusses relevant historic, epidemiologic, etiologic and clinical characteristics of dysthymia, with the main purpose of contribute to the debate on its clinical usefulness.On the Threshold of Eternity (Photo credit: Wikipedia)ĭysthymia is categorized as one of the Depressive Disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) and is now re-named Persistent Depressive Disorder. Mainly due to its high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders and poor clinical stability across time, there is a current debate on the usefulness either to preserve the diagnosis of dysthymia as a unique nosological entity, or regarding time domain, to consider it as an evolutionary stage of depressive and/or bipolar disorder. Dysthymia causes a significant impairment and is usually characterized by depressed mood, less severe than that in major depression, but with relatively higher impact on cognitive, social, daily-activities and self-esteem.
Following DSM-IV definition and relevant amount of empirical evidence, dysthymia could be considered as a chronic and mild depressive disorder found in approximately 3% of community populations. Depressive disorder, dysthymia, mood disorder.ĭysthymia as a nosological entity: Some thoughts on its epidemiology, etiology and diagnostic usefulness.