Question: My daughter is 32 years old and although she copes well with her job, she lives bitter and angry. Her friends and those who know her can’t stand her and she is left alone. She says that’s how it is and she doesn’t want it to be about her, even though a family doctor told her that she had dysthymia. (PA San Rafael)
Dysthymia (a Greek word meaning “disturbed mood”) is one of the most common mood disorders that affects many people and It is one of the most important mood disturbances.
It is a state of mild depression, but of long duration to the point that many believe that they are like that and not that they suffer from a disorder that requires to be attended to as such.
Dysthymia does not affect everyone equally. It occurs more frequently in people with a family history of depression and/or who have been subjected to situations of great stress and emotional anxiety.
Environmental factors and certain life experiences are of utmost importance in its genesis. For example, situations of emotional or physical abuse in childhood, the early loss of a loved one or living in a dysfunctional family environment.
These experiences can not only initiate the disorder, but also perpetuate a cycle of bitterness that becomes chronic.
The statistics are not precise, but there is some consensus that It affects 2% of the population and usually affects women 5 times more than men.
Dysthymic people usually have the following characteristics:
1) A state of emotional bitterness along with a tendency to get angry or down easily.
2) A less than optimistic vision of the future.
3) Difficulty or inability to enjoy of pleasant or pleasant things.
4) Excessive tendency to have frequent worries accompanied by protests against others.
5) Difficulty sleeping well at night, with frequent awakenings and feeling tired in the morning.
6) Difficulty concentrating on work, reading, conversations.
7) Physical discomfort such as headaches or digestive discomfort.
8) Feeling of having little energy and not achieving your goals.
9) Alterations in appetite.
It usually affects people who are subject to constant tension, are self-demanding or perfectionist, and have great difficulty relaxing.
Dysthymia It can last weeks, months, years or even persist for a lifetime.
Often family members or acquaintances call them “bitter” or that they have “bad vibes”, they move away and tend to be left alone.
The causes
The causes may be: a) genetic (rare), b) environmental (more common) due to upbringing/personality factors or recent situations of separation, moving, work problems and c) biochemical (very common) due to an imbalance between brain neurotransmitters or the places where they act, the brain receptors.
The latter means that it can be accompanied by other discomforts such as fears, phobias, obsessions or eating problems.
Dysthymia has treatment and it is only enough for the person to recognize that “it is not like that” and that if you agree to undergo treatment you can improve. Otherwise, it can persist over time and, in the long run, lead to major depression.
The key is for the dysthymic patient to understand that they suffer from a disorder and Don’t resign yourself to living suffering like that.
