Chronic Depression

Chronic depression or clinically known as dysthymia, is a less severe or mild form of clinical depression but the symptoms remain for a long period of time, possibly two years.  People who suffer from chronic depression are normally able to function adequately but seem constantly unhappy. 

Several people can hold down jobs and can be in relationships with this form of depression, but their capacity to stand out or make positive impact in any area of their lives is seriously reduced.  Long periods of dealing with lack of energy or motivation results in poor confidence and an anticipation of failure, this type of thinking can underpin a violent-self-reinforcing cycle, with the person expecting nothing to change and so nothing ever does.

It is also usual for a person with chronic depression or dysthymia to also experience major depression at the same time, with swings into major depressive episode and then back to more mild state of chronic depression. This state is called double depression.  The symptoms of chronic depression or dysthymia are the same as those of major depression which include: difficulty sleeping, loss of energy or fatigue, loss of interest or the ability to enjoy oneself, changes of appetite, thoughts of death or suicide, excessive feelings of guilt or worthlessness, observable mental and physical sluggishness, and difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions.

About 10.9 million Americans aged eighteen years and older are affected by chronic depression according to the National Institute of Mental Health.  It advisable to see a doctor or psychiatrist if one has been depressed and has had symptoms for more than two weeks. The provider will do a thorough medical evaluation focusing on their personal and family psychiatric history.

There is no X-ray, blood, or other laboratory test that can be used to diagnose chronic depression. A mental health expert usually makes the diagnosis based on the individual’s symptoms.  In cases of chronic depression, the symptoms will have lasted for longer and be less severe than people with major depression.

Chronic depression or dysthymia is a serious but treatable condition, and a number of people with this illness may do well with psychotherapy or “talk” therapy alone.  However, in some cases, this treatment is not adequate and the doctor may recommend antidepressant medication as well.

One of the grave issues a person with chronic depression needs to conquer in order to start healing is accepting that they have the illness. For a lot of people though, accepting is a problem.  They would rather look at life as a generally negative experience rather than accept that they have the depressive illness.  A few people never surmount this issue and only seek treatment when they end up with an episode of major depression on top of the chronic depression.