Dysthymia
This type is related to the mood of a person, according to the Greek meaning dysthymia means bad state of the mind. In this type the patient shows symptoms in between atypical depression and major depression. Dysthymia is less severe than the other types but this can be serious if correct treatment is not given at the right time time.
According to the research, 3% of people are affected by this type depression. It is observed that women are mostly affected by the disease.
Symptoms shown by dysthymia
- Person loses hopes and becomes nervous. Does not share their thoughts with the others.
- Person may suffer from the insomnia i.e. he/she may not be able to sleep at night time or sometimes he/she can show symptoms of hyperisomnia i.e. the patient may sleep more than eleven to twelve hours
- The dysthymia affected patient shows less concentration and gets confused while making any decision
- These patients shows very less energy and therefore can not do hard work
- Patient shows loss of appetite and does not like to eat anything resulting in loss of weight
- Sometimes, the patient may eat a lot leading to gaining weight
- After diagnosis, it is observed that the person was affected by the disease for years and that the symptoms have become part of his/her character. At this stage it may be quite difficult to cure the disease.
Causes of dysthymia disorder
- The exact cause of the disease is still unknown but there is one possibility of causing disease that is, if there is any change in the level of the serotonin then it can cause dysthymia
- Serotonin is a neurotransmitter secreted by the brain cells called as neurons. This neurotransmitter controls the emotions, decision taking ability, sleep, memory and learning ability of a person.
- If, there is any increase or decrease in the level of the serotonin then it can affect the mind of the person leading to dysthymia
Treatment for dysthymia
- To treat the dysthymia patient doctors can use antidepressant drugs. Theses drugs can give good relief from dysthymia.
- It is very important that the patient take medicines regularly without any mistake otherwise the patient may take more time to come out of disease
- If the patient, is not giving expected results then other treatments can be used in combination with the medicines
- If the patient is getting good result then he/she will need to continue the treatment for months or several years, otherwise after stopping the medicines patient may again enter depression
- The patient should not stop or change the treatment without informing to the doctor
Survival rate
Thoughts of suicide may come to the patient but sometimes the mortality rate may increase because of the illness caused by the dysthymia
Support from family and friends
The patient can take less time to cure if friends and family members give. It really helps the patient in solving the regular problems.
