What Are The Symptoms of Chronic Depression

December 24th, 2008 Posted in Anxiety and Depression

Chronic Depression is also known as Dysthymia.  This disease can be serious, although not as serious as attacks with major depression.  Someone who knows you may have chronic depression, but you have no idea. Typically someone with this illness can live a regular life. They go to work or school and go about their daily lives without so much as to cause a ripple in the water.  Of course it’s invisible to the outside world because the damage from this illness are on the inside. The symptoms are mental and physical. 

Shaking, dizziness, or a fever won’t result from Chronic Depression. You will not typically break out into a rash. But victims may feel hopeless, worthless and out of control. The afflicted may experience problems with sleeping like insomnia. The sufferer might be consumed by constant feelings of sadness and emptiness. Usually those affected by the disease may also experience episodes of thinking about death or suicide. Chronic depression isn’t always apparent. With mental illness it requires a close look and a lot of experience to recognize the symptoms because victims work hard to conceal the problem. Fighting depression this way is to avoid questioning from friends and family.

There are a few major treatment options for people who are thinking about dealing with depression .  Psychotherapy, attacking a mental illness with a mental solution, is one of the more popular approaches. Through psychotherapy the doctor seeks the cause of depression and to create a positive outlook for the patient.  The other option is to prescribe Anti-Depressants that will assist in spread of the affliction.  In many cases the answer is to utilize both options to bring about a positive result.  Although Chronic Depression is not Major Depression it can certainly lead to it. As with many illnesses, early detection is one of the most powerful tools in fighting this. 

Normally, Chronic Depression becomes an issue when it gets to the point that the illness begins to cause problems in everyday life. When it impacts your ability to work or to relate with other people then something must be done.  Those who suffer from Chronic Depression are not nuts or mentally insane. Care and support are needed to address the underlying issues. Everyone is vulnerable to the chance of facing this disease. Having knowledge about it may one day assist you or someone you know in facing it.