Can Desthemia lead to Depression, lead to Bi-polar?
Dysthymia is a word for chronic persisting depressive symptoms that are disabling but fall short of the number or severity of symptoms that would lead to a diagnosis of depression.
This could show up with depressed mood most of the time, with low energy, insomnia and loss of appetite for example.
About 1% of people have this disorder at any time.
Major depression is when the patient has more severe symptoms, or more symptoms.
This comes as a lowering of mood from the normal range and with more disability.
Those people who only drop from and return to the normal range of mood are said to have unipolar major depression.
You can get major depression on top of dysthymia.
About 5% of people are depressed at any time.
Some people as well as episodes of depression can get mood elevation that may be slightly elevated or very elevated.
About 1% of people get these bipolar disorders but it is now thought more are affected with these disorders at any one time.
It is important to work out your diagnosis with your doctor as there are different treatments for the different disorders.