Posted by SLS on April 10, 2006, at 6:01:08
In reply to HELP: How often how deeply do you get depressed?, posted by Don_Bristol on April 9, 2006, at 10:17:24
Hi Don.
You asked some very constructive questions. I am not a good example to represent the course of the average affective disorder (mood illness). I have an uncommon type of bipolar disorder. I stay deeply depressed all of the time year after year. I meet the DSM criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD).
You might have something known as "double depression". This condition presents as a chronic dysthymia (minor depression) with intermittent episodes of MDD. It is possible that you have not known what it feels like to be mentally healthy and free of depression for many years. The MDD is usually as treatable as any other case would be. However, the dysthymia can be more stubborn. I don't think there is any consensus among doctors how best to treat it, but generally it is treated as if it were MDD. Psychotherapy might be very helpful. I would definitely consider it as a treatment for the dysthymia, with the hope that it might break a cycle of depressive thinking driving or making worse the dysthymia. At the very least, it would be very supportive and teach you how to experience life more fully.
Can you describe how you experience life during the time in between MDD episodes? What makes you think that you might be experiencing a chronic dysthymia?
What has been your treatment history?
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:630873
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060408/msgs/631309.html