We can think of three types of depression: Depressive Disorder, Depressive Episode and Dysthymia – according to the DSM-IV, a reference book for psychiatry and for many psychologists.

Dysthymia is a form of chronic depression (which persists over time). In the past, everything we talk about today as Dysthymia was called the depressive or melancholic personality.

In Depressive Disorder we notice very clear depression. The person stops going to work or school, sleeps badly, doesn’t eat… The people around them soon realize that something is wrong.

In Dysthymia, people around, and even the person who has dysthymia, do not realize that there is a problem.

Usually, the person thinks: “I’ve always been like this” or “This is how I am”. And with that, no one notices the symptoms of dysthymia.

The symptoms of dysthymia are:

1) Depressed mood most of the time (for at least 2 years in adults and 1 year in children and adolescents)

2) decreased appetite or hyperphagia; insomnia or hypersomnia; low energy or fatigue; low self esteem; poor concentration or difficulty making decisions;

3) There is no Manic episode;

4) There is no use and abuse of drugs or serious health problems;