CHRONIC DEPRESSION (The medical term for this is “Dysthmia”)
This is depression that lasts for at least two years (1 year in children and adolescents), in a less severe but more chronic form than major depression.
DSM-IV cites its core symptoms as a depressed mood with at least two or more of these additional symptoms — sleep problems; poor appetite or over-eating; fatigue or lethargy; poor concentration or difficulty making decisions; low self- esteem; feelings of hopelessness.
Although chronic depression causes significant distress or some impairment in school or work performance, the symptoms usually aren’t severe enough to be disabling.
In chronic depression, normal moods may intervene with the depressed mood, lasting from a few days to a few weeks. This is another area of difference between chronic and major depression. In major depression, the depressed mood is constant; it is not interspersed with depression-free periods. Chronic depression typically begins gradually during early
adulthood, and sufferers usually have trouble pointing out precisely when they first became depressed. In fact, it is common for them to consider their depression normal.
Chronic depression may be associated with other mental illnesses (e.g., anxiety disorders, substance abuse).
Your lifetime chances of developing chronic depression are about 5% if you’re a man, and almost twice (about 8%) if you’re a woman.
An important caution: the generally mild to moderate level of symptoms of chronic depression is not a reason for taking it lightly. A study supported by the National Institute of Mental Health in the U.S. found that chronically depressed persons have more severe problems with work, family and social relationships than those suffering from episodic depression; they are also hospitalized more often (for various ailments), require more health care and attempt suicide more often. The study concluded that, “While some chronic depressions may be milder than acute depressions at a given point in time, when viewed over the course of time and from the perspective of family liability, they appear to be much more severe conditions.”