Dysthymia: the constant weight of sadness

We all feel down at times. It is normal for us to feel sad from time to time. They are streaks, often necessary for us to react and seek improvement in our lives or to overcome unpleasant events that happen to us.

Now imagine that this low mood has been present with you continuously for more than two years. It is not difficult to see the discomfort that someone who feels this way can experience. This is what happens when dysthymia appears… Continue reading to learn more about it!

What is dysthymia?

Dysthymia appears when a person has been immersed in a depressed mood for at least two years. The observation can be made by the person who suffers from it or it can be observed by those around them. But, Although they may appear similar, dysthymia is not the same as depression.

In these cases, at least during the last two years there has not been a period of more than two months in which the person has not had at least two of the following symptoms: loss or increase in appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, lack of energy or fatigue, low self-esteem, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, or feelings of hopelessness.

As you can see, people with dysthymia may not have as many symptoms and they may not be as intense as those with depression. However, there is another problem: it is highly persistent over time. Thus, people with dysthymia They will be practically continuously submerged in a melancholic mood. Furthermore, if there is no adequate psychological treatment, it can lead to major depressive disorder.

Apart from the fact that it can cause other psychopathologies to appear, Therapy is necessary because dysthymia generates great distress in those who suffer from it. As a consequence of all this, the quality of life of these people is diminished, influencing their psychological discomfort in the different areas in which they operate significantly.

What differentiates dysthymia from depression?

With what we have explained so far, it would not be surprising if you are wondering… Isn’t this dysthymia the same as depression? The answer is no, although it is true that they have some characteristics in common, which are what can lead us to confusion.

In fact, people with depression also have a depressed mood most of the day and almost every day. This, as in dysthymia, can be observed by other people or by the patient himself. The difference here is that In depression the duration is at least two weeks, not like in dysthymia which has to be present for two years or more.

The other common elements would be sleep problems, increased or loss of appetite (although in depression there can be a significant variation in weight without following a special regimen for it), fatigue (which in depression is seen more as a persistent loss of energy), and difficulty concentrating or making decisions (accompanied by a persistent decline in the ability to think).

As we can see, nuances that generate differences already appear in the similarities. To what we have already commented, it must be added that In depression, interest or pleasure in all or almost all of the person’s activities is significantly reduced. almost every day for most of the day. But there is still more.

Daily and continuous psychomotor agitation or retardation, excessive or inappropriate feelings of worthlessness or guilt, and recurrent thoughts and ideas of death or suicide or attempts and plans to carry them out also appear. We do not see all this in dysthymia. What we do see in both is the deterioration and discomfort they cause to those who suffer from it.which once again highlights the need to seek help to get out of the situation in which these people find themselves.

Images courtesy of Xavier Sotomayor, Priscilla du Preez and Patryck Sobczak

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