I've been depressed for so damn long. What gives?
When you think of depression, your brain might immediately jump to those debilitating depressive episodes which feel like big, dark clouds that hang around for a while and then clear up—sometimes coming back later or not at all. That's major depressive disorder for ya, otherwise known as major depression or MDD. But what happens when someone feels low-key depressed for what seems like years? Well, they may literally be depressed for years—and they might have what's called dysthymia, otherwise known as dysthymic disorder or persistent depressive disorder.
People with dysthymia have long-term depression that's usually considered more mild than an episode of major depression, explains David Hellerstein, MD, professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
If you can't really remember a time when you weren't bummed out, it's worth learning more about this mood disorder, how it compares to major depression, and how it's treated. Because even though this long-lasting depression can be super draining and frustrating to go through, there are ways you can manage it and get better.
What is dysthymia?
People with dysthymia have low mood and energy pretty much every day for at least two years, says psychiatrist Beth Salcedo, MD.
Dysthymia, or dysthymic disorder, used to be a diagnosis in previous versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but, in 2013, it was thrown under the umbrella of a new disorder: persistent depressive disorder (PDD). This new diagnosis covers everyone who previously would have been diagnosed with this low-grade, long-term depression and also folks who've had full-blown symptoms of major depressive disorder for more than two years (oof). So some mental health pros use PDD and dysthymia interchangeably, JFYI.
Keep reading for tips on managing dysthymia.
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