Lets Fight Depression

Dysthymic disorder which is also sometimes called dysthymia is a classification by psychiatrists according to the DSM-IV and is listed under the category of 300.4. This is sometimes listed on the prescription for anti-depressants or other treatments of dysthymic disorder. In some cases, dysthymic disorder is classified in the same group as minor depressive disorder, but this is generally incorrect because dysthymic disorder is generally a lifetime disorder whereas minor depressive disorder may only last a few weeks or months before disappearing completely.

Kris suffers from bipolar disorder and has experienced symptoms of minor depression as well as major depression. He understands how painful it can be to be sad for months at a time without any hope of recovery. But there are treatments for this disorder so it is important that you see a doctor if you feel like you might have long terms symptoms of depression.

What Exactly Is Dysthymic Disorder?

Dysthymic disorder is a long term disease. In fact, most psychiatrists will not even diagnose you with dysthymic disorder unless you have been suffering from the symptoms for years. Rather than a fully debilitating disorder, dysthymia involves minor depression over a long period of time. The less severesymptoms of depression such as sadness, irritability, guilt, and low energy levels may be present. In some cases some of the more severe symptoms may also be present with dysthymic disorder, but they generally are not long lasting and are only a smaller part of a longer term problem. From a general perspective, this can be thought of as a mild form of depression that is still making an impact on a person’s social life, school life, work life, or even family life. People may consider a person with dysthymia moody, pessimistic, or just generally a sad person.

Kris has met plenty of people who are pessimistic or even mean. However, this does not necessarily mean that they are suffering from dysthymia. Someone may just be an unhappy person and may not be suffering from dysthymia. People who are considered moody may also not be suffering from dysthymia. If you think that you have a problem with depression that is only mild, you should still see a doctor for this problem because they may be able to treat you for dysthymia.

How Do You Treat Dysthymia?

Unlike major depression, not all people who suffer from dysthymia need to take prescription drugs. Because this is such a long term problem, people with dysthymic disorder may have already learned how to cope with this disease. In some cases, support groups and classes that teach you how to better cope with depression may be all that it takes for you to get your life back to normal. In some cases, dysthymia may also be triggered by the actions that you are taking such as doing drugs or living a lifestyle full of crime so it is important that you keep an open mind that you may need to change some of your habits in order to fight dysthymic disorder. However, there are many people suffering from this disorder that may in fact need to take prescription drugs. In this case, antidepressants will nearly always be prescribed unless there is another mental disorder that is occurring along with the dysthymia. That being the case, the doctor will normally start you off with a less severe drug like a serotonin inhibitor. Some of these have been even proven so safe that pregnant women can take them without harming the baby so it is important to note that even those who are afraid to take prescription drugs are in little to no danger with many of these antidepressants.

Kris can tell you from experience that support groups can do wonders for people suffering from depression. It is important to find the right support group however because many are going to be filled with people who are suicidal and have extremely serious issues so you may not be able to fit in if you are not having similar symptoms. However, most of us are more than happy to have mild depression suffers, family, and even friends of those suffering with depression come and join us. The more the merrier!

Causes of Dysthymic Disorder

Dysthymia is a bit more diverse in the potential causes than some of the more severe types of disorders that almost always come from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Dysthymic disorder may or may not be related to an imbalance of serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine. Some potential causes may be childhood abuse or a traumatic experience. This can also be related to a chemical imbalance due to a physical experience such as brain surgery or pregnancy which can have a major effect on how your body works for years to come and possibly even for the rest of your life. Since the cause may be different for different people and may even be a combination of many different causes, it is important to talk to your doctor about treatment options.

Kris takes mild antidepressants because the more powerful antidepressants may drive him back into a state of mania. He has had serotonin inhibitors to start out with since they are much less impacting on the body. He did not experience any side effects when they added antidepressants to his treatment.

Is There a Cure For Dysthymia?

Unfortunately, there is no cure for dysthymia. This is one of those chronic diseases that you are most likely going to have to live with for the rest of your life. This means that the best thing that you can do is to start learning how to control the symptoms now so that you do not have to suffer for the rest of your life. Whether it is prescription drugs or just hanging out with other people to learn how to cope, today is the time to start because your dysthymic disorder is going to be following you around for a long time.

You may be thinking that dysthymia is a lot less severe than most of the other disorders discussed on this website, but that may not always be true. People suffering from dysthymia still have an above average rate of suicide so it is essential that if you have dysthymia that you always seek treatment and stick to the treatment plan.