What is DISTIMIA: Definition, Symptoms, Treatment and Test

The vast majority of people have gone through times in their lives when they generally feel sadder, dull, apathetic, less willing to do everything we have always liked. However, with the days we are remaking ourselves and we return to normality. When this state of mind persists, the person may be suffering from a mood disorder, called dysthymia. But what is dysthymia? Dysthymia in DSM V is part of the so-called depressive disorders, also known as chronic depression. Dysthymia has characteristics similar to major depression, but with less severity. Between 5-27% of people who suffer from a major depressive disorder make the disease chronic, leading to dysthymia, So the longer the depression lasts, the more likely it is that a disorder will persist and develop dysthymic. However, chronically depressed people can recover. In this Psychology-Online article we will help you understand what is dysthymia: definition, symptoms and treatment.

Index

1. What is dysthymia? Definition
2. Dysthymia: symptoms
3. Causes of dysthymia
4. Dysthymia: treatment

Dysthymic disorder or dysthymia in DSM V is part of the well-known mood disorders, popularly known as chronic depression, due to the persistence of its course. What is dysthymia? Dysthymia is a psychological disorder that implies that the person is in a sad mood or depressed most of the time, which has a high functional impact on our day to day life, affecting all areas of the person: work, relational, cognitive, and so on.

The symptoms presented in dysthymia are similar to major depressive disorder, however with a less high intensity, but with greater persistence of symptoms. Faced with this, we ask ourselves, how can I differentiate a major depression from a dysthymia, if they have similar symptoms? The difference between dysthymia and major depression is the following: in order to establish the diagnosis of chronic depression, it is necessary that the person who suffers from this disorder, in a period of two years he has not been more than two months without presenting any of the symptom. Below we will look at the symptoms of dysthymia in more detail.

The symptoms of dysthymia, according to the DSM-V criteria are the following:

• Poor appetite or overeating. The disorder causes the person to significantly reduce their appetite or, on the contrary, produces the need for an overeating.
• Insomnia or hypersomnia. Dysthymia produces disturbances in sleep, either due to a deficit of this (insomnia), or due to excess (hypersomnia).
• Low energy or fatigue. One of the symptoms of dysthymia is lack of energy, which greatly influences the daily functioning of the patient.
• Low self-esteem. The disorder entails that the person's self-concept is affected, as well as the perception of her abilities.
• Lack of concentration or difficulty making decisions. There is a decrease in concentration and difficulty in making decisions that produce shocking frustration for the person.
• Feelings of hopelessness. This feeling is very characteristic in the different presentations of depression. It produces that the person does not contemplate a way out of the current situation, without hope for the future.

If you think you have the symptoms of dysthymia, you can do this dysthymia test. To diagnose dyshythmia, a medical examination and psychological evaluation are necessary, carried out by the corresponding professionals, but with this dysthymia test you can guide yourself.

At present, it has not been empirically proven what are the causes that produce this disorder. However, it is known to be caused by multiple factors, involving psychological, social and biological factors.

• Psychological and social: certain events in a person's life that induce a depressed mood such as example recent losses, trauma, stress, breakups, financial problems, as well as how to manage these situations.
• Biological: It has been observed that in depressive disorders there is a deficit of serotonin, dopamine and / or norepinephrine in the central nervous system.

Its appearance can be early, appearing before the age of 21 or late, appearing after the age of 21. On the other hand, its severity must be specified, being classified as severe, moderate or mild.

How is dysthymia cured? In the treatment of depressive disorders, it is highly recommended to do a combined pharmacological and psychological treatment. Treatment is very important because of the impact that persistent symptoms have on a person's life.

Pharmacotherapy

The treatment of pharmacological dysthymia consists of the administration, generally, of antidepressant drugs. There are a wide variety of antidepressant drugs and their choice will depend on the personal characteristics of each person. The antidepressant drugs present today are the following:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
• Atypical antidepressants.
• Tricyclic antidepressants.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI).

Psychotherapeutic treatment

The cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has been shown to be the most effective intervention for the treatment of depressive disorders such as dysthymia. The goal of TCC is to produce a change in behavior, cognitive patterns, and emotions of the person suffering from depression. However, an intervention can also be carried out from any psychotherapeutic orientation.

The person with a depressive disorder tends to have a set of irrational automatic thoughts that invade their day to day and affect her behavior, for example: "what difference does it make if I do nothing, if I will do everything wrong" the person has this thought automated and It arises naturally, without thinking about it, being an irrational thought that lasts over time and causes the mood to persist depressed. CBT seeks to change these irrational thought patterns, for healthier and more rational thoughts, through the technique of cognitive restructuring. From changing this set of irrational thoughts that maintain the symptoms, consequently the behavior of the person will change.

On the other hand, it is very common for people with depression to have peaks of anxiety and stress. Against this, in cognitive-behavioral therapy, the therapist teaches the patient certain strategies to reduce anxiety levels when they present themselves, how could they be relaxation techniques or improving the ability of Problem resolution.

The intervention from CBT can be carried out in individual sessions, as well as in family or group sessions.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is dysthymia: definition, symptoms and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

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