Unrelieved sadness and eternal wound: dysthymia

In the case of the dysthymia, one does not feel the unfathomable emptiness of depression, where the pain is expressed in all its magnitude. However, there are many people who live in the reality of this disorder. tied to a penalty that they do not understandto a sadness that embraces and drowns day after day without the reason being very well understood.

Bad mood, tiredness, discomfort, apathy… What happens to us? We go to the doctor and they prescribe us some vitamin supplement; nothing more can be done, since in primary care consultations it is rarely possible to diagnose dysthymia correctly already the first. It does not meet all the easily identifiable patterns of depression, since this is very different, it is a sibylline disorder that eats away at melancholy and disaffection. It disconnects us and isolates us.

The DSM-V, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has already replaced the term “dysthymia” with a somewhat more complex and defining label such as “Persistent Depressive Disorder”, and although it already gives us a clue about its dimensionality, it should be said that today, the factors that trigger it are still not entirely clear, although it could undoubtedly have a genetic and biochemical pattern.

Life with dysthymia, that invisible enemy

We are struck by the fact that there may be many people who, today, suffer from this permanent depressive disorder, or the old dysthymia, without knowing it. The reason this is so is because its symptoms are generally not as disabling as depression, for example.

One can become “functional” while this sadness ties itself behind us and oppresses our heart and mind. We can go to work and establish more or less acceptable relationships, however, something goes wrong, we know that there are pieces inside us that do not fit together as they should. That life hurts us as if someone was cruel to us in an invisible way.

Where does that apathy, that despair, come from? that unbearable tiredness? There are days when we feel an indefinable rage without knowing what causes it, weeks when we just want to sleep and escape from people. At other times, we are so critical of ourselves that we can’t even stand to see our own image reflected in a mirror.

It is difficult for us to make decisions, we are those melancholic friends to which everyone has already become accustomed, because in essence, we have been like this for a long time, feeling these pains of the soul. In fact, it is known that dysthymia frequently affects women more than men, and that in general, these feelings tend to be more evident after the age of 21.

As something to keep in mind, you should know that undiagnosed and untreated dysthymia runs the risk of leading to a severe depression If at any time in our lives, we suffer episodes of great stress or anxiety. The emotional burden can be a really dangerous trigger, where suicide attempts can already appear. So it’s not just anything.

How to deal with dysthymia?

Dysthymia is an affective disorder chronic depressive character, Therefore, we will need pharmacological treatment combined with psychological therapy. It can be overcome?

There are many people who achieve it, however, and since it is generally something chronic as we have pointed out, the purpose is in “check” negative emotions to be able to have a good quality of life. And as such, it can be achieved.

Keep these aspects in mind:

1. If in your family you have a close relative affected by dysthymia, there is a high probability that you too will suffer from it. Although it usually manifests itself after the age of 21, it is important for the entire family to be attentive to its symptoms, to the possible isolation of young people, to take care of their self-esteem, their motivation…

2. Be aware that negative emotions are going to be those persistent visitors that they are going to want to take over your will. Face them, you know that in this case the biochemistry of your brain is going to be the trigger for your sadness, so look around you and understand that, really, there is no reason to despair, to get angry, to be afraid.

3. Get excited about life and yourself. Hobbies are always very important, they give us passion and set routines for us. Having habits in our daily lives that force us to interact, to leave the house, is something very important. Relate, walk, stroll, attend, breathe, laugh, write, surround yourself with positive sensations and cauterize that pain that disesteem usually “inflames” in its victims. Don’t allow yourself to be one of them.

Image courtesy: Cristian Schloe