Dysthymia, or persistent depressive disorder, is a continuous, long-lasting (chronic) form of depression. You could become disinterested in routine everyday activities, experience hopelessness, be unproductive, have low self-esteem, and feel insufficient all around.
Your relationships, studies, employment, and daily activities may be greatly hampered by these symptoms, which persist for years.
Even on pleasant occasions, someone with a chronic depressive disorder may struggle to remain optimistic; they may be described as having a gloomy attitude, whining continuously, or incapable of having fun. Your current state of depression may be mild, moderate, or severe, even though the persistent depressive disorder is not as severe as major depression.
A combination of talk therapy (psychotherapy) and medication can be useful in treating persistent depressive disorder, despite the fact that managing depression symptoms can be difficult due to the chronic nature of this condition.
Symptoms of the persistent depressive disorder typically appear and disappear over years, and their strength can fluctuate. However, symptoms generally last for longer than two months at a time. Additionally, significant depressive episodes may start or continue to exist alongside persistent depressive disorder; this is known as double depression.
The prevalence of DD in the US general population is 3.1 percent2 according to the 1988 Epidemiological Catchment Area Study, although statistics from the 1994 National Comorbidity Survey show a prevalence rate of 6.4 percent. 3 Researchers estimated a lifetime prevalence of DD in US communities at 3.6% in 2004 after conducting a literature review. 4 These DD rates seem to be similar to those discovered in the Netherlands (4.6%). 5 In conclusion, it appears that between 3 and 6 percent of people in US communities have DD at some point in their lifetime. There is no known biochemical defect that is persistent or extensive in DD patients. This may be connected to the disorder’s etiological and/or clinical heterogeneity. Sporadic problems include decreased platelet monoamine oxidase activity in female patients, elevated interleukin-1, elevated serotonergic dysfunction, and irregular polysomnographic sleep patterns.
