The Less Talked About Mood Disorders. Do You Have One?
When people talk about mood disorders, Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder seem to get all the press. There is another mood disorder that often goes undiagnosed, untreated and even misdiagnosed. What I’m talking about is called Dysthymia. It’s a form of depression that is not quite as intense and lasts a very long time; at least two years. Many people suffer from it for their entire adult lifetimes. Many people who have Dysthymic Disorder do not think of themselves as seriously depressed, but rather as “frequently sad”. Research suggests that at any given time, nearly 3% of Americans actively suffer from Dysthymia. Many who experience Dysthymic Disorder suffer just a bit too little to seek help and instead suffer in silence. When Dysthymic clients do seek help, the symptoms are often interpreted and diagnosed as Major Depression instead. Because of misdiagnosis and people failing to seek help for Dysthymic disorder, that 3% prevalence figure I mentioned earlier may be much higher. The most common symptoms of Dysthymia are feeling of low self-esteem and low self worth. A very pessimistic outlook and feelings of hopelessness are also common. Like other mood disorders, a lack of energy and motivation along with sleep and appetite changes are common. Dysthymia is best characterized by a person who is “moody” and more days than not thinks badly of themselves, bemoans his or her life circumstance, feels undeserving of happiness and generally resigns themselves to “just being down all the time”.
There is an even less talked about mood disorder then Dysthymia. It’s called Cyclothymia. Much like Dysthymia is a lighter and longer duration version of Major Depression, Cyclothymia is a lighter and longer duration version of Bipolar disorder. People who suffer from Cyclothymia have the same long term down in the dumps experiences as a person suffering Dysthymia, but also have occasional “hypomanic” episodes. These episodes are generally enjoyable and the person experiences an elevated mood, unusual self confidence, drastic reductions of worry, fear or anxiety, grandiosity, flights of ideas, rushing thoughts and a boost in creativity. People experiencing a hypomanic episode and people witrnessing one often think of this period in a very positive way. Some who are diagnosed as cyclothymic are hesant to treat it because they do not want to be deprived of the hypomanic episodes that make them feel larger than life and super capable. Some speculate that many of histories most notable artists may have been cyclothymic, doing their greatest works during hypomanic episodes.
For any of you who think you may have either of these two problems, there is help out there for you. Contact a mental health profesional of your choice. Like Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder, both Cyclothymia and Dysthymia can be treated with psychotherapy and medications. Don’t be one of those who suffer in silence a little bit day by day. Help is out there in a myriad of forms.
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