Consider a diagnosis of another mental health condition, such as bipolar disorder, which can cause or worsen depression and may require different treatment; dysthymia, a mild but long-term (chronic) form of depression; or a personality disorder that contributes to the depression not getting better Dear Doctor K: I was diagnosed with dysthymia. Can you tell me more about this condition? Is it the same as depression?

Understanding the Context

Dear Reader: Dysthymia is a form of depression. It is less severe than major ... Persistent depressive disorder, known as dysthymia or low-grade depression, is less severe than major depression but more chronic. It occurs twice as often in women as in men.

Key Insights

Persistent depressive ... DEAR DOCTOR K: My doctor says I suffer from "dysthymia." A friend says this is just a nice word for depression. What is dysthymia? DEAR READER: Dysthymia is a type of depression. Periods of dysthymia ...

Final Thoughts

The Pediatric Mood Clinic is staffed by experts in childhood mood disorders, such as depression, bipolar disease, cyclothymic disorder and persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). Persistent depressive disorder. Sometimes called dysthymia (dis-THIE-me-uh), this is a less severe but more chronic form of depression. While it's usually not disabling, persistent depressive disorder can prevent you from functioning normally in your daily routine and from living life to its fullest. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Cyclothymia resembles a persistent but milder form of bipolar disorder, while dysthymia is similar to a milder variant of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Cyclothymia and dysthymia, two persistent ... MSN: Author Baek Se-hee dies at 35: Understanding dysthymia, the persistent depression she battled