Last update: 14 September, 2016
There are times when hope is tinged with pessimism and the bad mood turns into that uncomfortable companion who covers everything with its bitter taste. Sadness tends to overcome our positive emotions to imprison them in the form of chronic apathy, a long-term malaise behind which, in reality, depression is hidden.
Dysthymia, or dysthymic disorder, affects nearly 5% of the population. Despite this, sometimes his symptoms are so subtle that we start to consider that persistent bad mood or apathy normal because, ultimately, as uncomfortable as it may be, it allows us to continue to be functional.
There are few times we stop to understand what can be hidden behind the bad mood, because, usually, we just need to avoid the person who suffers from it, who projects it, without trying to understand what lies behind those lips turned to the down and that bitterness which, perhaps, hides a thousand sadnesses.
Another aspect we need to clearly understand is that not all depressions are the same. Each person is surrounded by a specific reality that must be able to individualize and to which the right attention must be paid. Despite this, when we talk about dysthymia, we know well that we are faced with a personality in which discouragement and bitterness represent a very concrete disease.
Today we are talking about just that.
Dysthymia: a very subtle form of depression
One aspect that needs to be clarified is that sadness itself is not synonymous with depression, just as a bad mood is not always a reflection of a bad temper. Depressive disorders are marked by very delicate nuances, but dysthymia is a sub-category that has its own characteristics that must be taken into consideration:
- Usually, dysthymic people complain about everything. They suffer from chronic malaise, an anhedonia that prevents them from feeling pleasure or seeing the positive side of life.
- They have a lack of concentration and sleep disturbances.
- They suffer from appetite disorders: days in which they have no appetite alternate with times when anxious hunger is uncontrollable.
- They manage to maintain a work or professional commitment, but their performance is usually low.
- They suffer periods of melancholy, a hidden sadness that is also reflected in the weakening of the immune system, which causes a lowering of defenses and the contraction of diseases.
- Unlike other types of depression, dysthymic people are "functional", meaning they respect their responsibilities and are autonomous, yet their personal relationships are affected.
A very common aspect among dysthymic subjects is to observe that even the environment that surrounds them becomes "a victim". The bad mood of dysthymic people, far from being understood, infects the rest of the people, who make the decision to move away, to take the right distance. Little by little, it turns into a vicious circle that increases their dissatisfaction and loneliness even more.
- A brain affected by bad mood is affected by dysphoria, that is, irritability, dissatisfaction, anxiety ... All this it is due to an imbalance of a neurotransmitter known as dopamine, which can be rebalanced with the help of some medications.
- Dysthymia must be treated with the right drugs and psychotherapy. The support of the environment surrounding the subject and his willingness to defeat the disease are also fundamental.
An aspect to take into consideration is that, even if the dysthymic disorder affects both men and women, it is the latter who tend to seek help and treatment, since they are aware of the fact that that malaise, that bad mood, it alters their personal balance too much.
For this reason, and as with most disorders, it is important to show sensitivity and intuition. Bad mood is not always "a contagious virus". Sometimes, behind that mask, there is someone who is suffering and who needs support and understanding.
And suddenly comes that sadness that envelops and suffocates without knowing why, which makes me see the world with anger and bitterness ...
