I don't but I have read about it and have friends who have it, so I have a small idea about the effect it can have on you. I'm sorry you have to deal with this and I hope someone here will be able to help you out.

I have not heard of it before but hopefully someone can enlighten me about it and you will find others who know what it's about and they can help you. I will learn something as well.

so bad state of mind or ill humor is what U suffer from...?

wow sounds fun 2 me... must have had it all my life.... wooooohooooo,,, f the world....

now I have hurd the words "old b4 ur time" and such... we are what we are and some times that is what we are, but most times it is just how others perceive us, don't worry bout the description,.... just have fun and live..... kind of works 4 me.....

I started on this depression track by developing dysthymia, first. It's good that you're seeing a doctor early-on, as it can derail (and hopefully avoid) a case of full-blown major depression.

According to wikipedia:

"Dysthymia, also known as neurotic depression, is a mood disorder consisting of chronic depression, with less severe but longer lasting symptoms than major depressive disorder. The concept was coined by Dr Robert Spitzer (an editor of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III)) as a replacement for the term "depressive personality" in the late 1970s.

According to the DSM's definition of dysthymia, it is a serious state of chronic depression, which persists for at least 2 years; it is less acute and severe than major depressive disorder. As dysthymia is a chronic disorder, sufferers may experience symptoms for many years before it is diagnosed, if diagnosis occurs at all. As a result, they may believe that depression is a part of their character, so they may not even discuss their symptoms with doctors, family members, or friends."

I had it for nearly 13 years, before mine turned into a case of major depression.

The personality disorder----I don't know if there's going to be too much advice people can give you there, except to follow doctor's advice---and maybe look into CBT or DBT classes (to help you retrain your thinking patterns to healthier ones.) PD is very complex, and there are many varieties of it.

I suffer from dysthymia, apparently I've had it all of my life. I was only dignosed 5 years ago and im now 43. I'm now taking Venaflaxine, methaphilidate with the option of taking Lithium for when I hit a hard low. The meds seem to keep me at an even keel. I hate to think where i'd be without them. Before I would just cry with out knowing why, life sucked. Now I can say it sucks less.

BTW Gramybear, Dsythymia is also known as Chronic Depression. It says that its less sever but on a scale of severity 1 being none and 10 being major depression I think I linger around an 8 or 9. It sure doesn't feel Less sever to me.

The thing about dysthymia is that people who have it often suffer through periods of major depression but the dysthymia is constant whereas the darkest periods come and go.

Honestly? I don't think it's less severe. Coping wise - find a therapist and the right meds and it's manageable. It's a work in progress.

Yep I've got the Dsythymia with episodes of more severe depression and aggravated by seasonal affective disorder.

In terms of meds and times when the depression is less severe it can be a balancing act between the side effects of the meds and whether they are worth it at that time for me. Of course I also suffer from anxiety and many of the meds seem to make that worse for me. So that might not be a problem.

Coping strategies are built over a long time and can include anything from hobbies, vitamins, exercising, to just making sure you get out of bed and accomplish one or two tasks.

Also be on the watch out for the things that will completely topple your balance. I still don't know if it helps to know or not . . . but for me stuff like trouble in my relationships sends right off of the tight rope I walk to try and achieve calm.

Edit* When I said "That might not be a problem" I meant "That might not be a problem for you"

HI
I was also diagnosed with dythymia last November and had never heard of it before. My doc prescribed Zoloft and Seroquel. Even at low doses the Seroquel made me very loopy the next day so I stopped taking it after about a month.

I think so many things can contribute to feeling a bit down or in a funk. One way I've coped my way out of it is in a healthy diet and exercise. When I turn away from that, I end up in a bit more of a funk. Good sleep helps and prayer. Of course, now, if I could land a fulfilling job my funk would also improve.

I wonder...is 'dsythymia' the defining difference between an optimist and a pessimist...?

For dh:

It's more of a feeling that something is 'off'; that you should be happy, but you're not; it's just a less nasty version of major depression, but it never completely lifts.

It made me wonder if I was just a horrible (lazy, stupid, self-centered, useless) person---when I was first experiencing it, I lost interest in so many former enjoyable past times. I also tried many wholistic treatments for depression, but none of them worked. At this time, I also developed a chronic sleep disorder, which wholistic meds did not improve, either.

It was more like a constant state of feeling fuzzed-out, of never being completely "on". I felt unsharp, mentally, but I could still function pretty well. Attitudinal therapies could help, but only to a certain degree, and only on certain days.

I had chalked my dysthymia up to menopause, and to some pretty heavy emotional slams I had suffered in my personal life. I just figured it was the price of turning older; the reason so many older people were grumpy all the time. That thinking kept me from seeking proper diagnosis for a long time.

But as soon as I read a definition of it, I just KNEW that was what had plagued me for so long.

It's like a low-level humm that's always in the backround. It's weird.

And for Mona, to answer your question:

I cope by periodically challenging that low-level motivation that I feel, and tackling things, anyway. I push through a lot of grey stuff until I see some light on the other side of it.

I take whatever joy I can find, from each and every small situation.

I must remind myself constantly that I am not a bad (lazy, worthless, horrible) person. I remind myself of all that I was capable of before all this hit, as soon as my memory started working FOR me again, instead of against me.

I find positives in everything. EVERYTHING.

That's how I cope with it all.