What is Dysthymia (Mood Decline)?
Dysthymia is a chronic depressive mood.
Causes of Dysthymia (Mood Decline)
The types of personalities that have dysthymia, it would be correct to call constitutional depressive. These features in them are manifested in childhood and puberty as a reaction to any difficulty, and later on endogenously.
Symptoms of Dysthymia (Mood Decline)
They are tearful, pensive and not too sociable, pessimistic. Under the influence of insignificant stresses in postpuberty, for at least two years, they have periods of constant or periodic depressive mood. Intermediate periods of normal mood rarely last longer than several weeks, the whole mood of the person is colored by subdepression. However, the level of depression is lower than with mild recurrent disorder. It is possible to identify the following symptoms of subdepression:
- reduced energy or activity;
- violation of the rhythm of sleep and insomnia;
- decrease in self-confidence or feeling of inferiority;
- difficulty concentrating, and hence the subjectively perceived loss of memory;
- frequent tearfulness and hypersensitivity;
- decrease in interest or pleasure from sex, other earlier pleasant and instinctive forms of activity;
- a sense of hopelessness or despair in connection with the realization of helplessness;
- inability to cope with the routine duties of everyday life;
- pessimistic attitude towards the future and a negative assessment of the past;
- social isolation;
- decrease in talkativeness and secondary deprivation.
Diagnosis of Dysthymia (Mood Decline)
- At least two years of persistent or recurring depressive mood. Periods of normal mood rarely last longer than a few weeks.
- The criteria do not correspond to a mild depressive episode, since suicidal thoughts are absent.
- During periods of depression, at least three of the following symptoms should be present: a decrease in energy or activity; insomnia; decreased self-confidence or inferiority; difficulty concentrating; frequent tearfulness; decrease in interest or pleasure from sex, other pleasant kinds of activity; sense of hopelessness or despair; inability to cope with the routine duties of everyday life; pessimistic attitude towards the future and a negative assessment of the past; social exclusion; reduced need for communication.
Differential diagnostics
It should be differentiated from a mild depressive episode, the initial stage of Alzheimer’s disease. In a mild depressive episode, suicidal thoughts and ideas are present. In the initial stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other organic disorders of depression become protracted, organics can be identified neuropsychologically and with the help of other objective research methods.
Dysthymia Treatment (Mood Decline)
With a reduced mood, Prozac, sleep deprivation treatment and enotherapy are indicated. Sometimes 2-3 sessions of nitrous oxide, amytal-caffeine disinhibition and intravenous administration of novocaine, as well as nootropic therapy, give the effect.