1.5 million Mexicans suffer from dysthymia and it is confused with depression

The dysthymia is a poorly known chronic depressive illness and confused symptoms that are often confused reluctantly, making the diagnosis difficult, stated Hiram Ortega, doctor of the National Institute of Psychiatry

This condition which would affect 1.5 million people in Mexico, has the particularity of being a type of persistent depression ; that is to say, that a person "every month for two years has had most days of sadness and discouragement," commented Ortega

Symptoms

Some of the symptoms of this type of depression are:

• sad and irritable mood,
• little energy and fatigue,
• low self-esteem,
• stress constant,
• lack of concentration,
• feelings of Despair, and
• sleep problems and appetite.

In patients with dysthymia a high degree of neuroticism is also identified which generates little tolerance for frustration, very demanding. fast and high discouragement if they do not reach their goal.

However, the suffering dysthymia does not always generate a total dysfunction: the person still reacts to certain stimuli that give him pleasant results such as going out, living, playing or doing another activity of his taste . And although it seems that the patient of dysthymia "is fine", after a few hours, a day or two "they come back to a state of lethargy, disinterest, fatigue, guilt, low esteem of self and little energy ". Ortega

Some of the factors that could trigger dysthymia are: the temperament of the person, the family history, having faced complicated duels and frequent stress that, after a while, exceeds the capacity of

The doctor indicated that although there is still no statistical data, the relationship between risk factors and current social demands could favor the increase in cases of dysthymia in the young population.

Treatment for the dysthymia may last a year or more, through a psychotherapy or medication to restore symptoms although there has people who could vo to introduce them because of a genetic predisposition or alterations in the brain.

However, confusing the disorder and avoiding medical attention could be serious for the patient because "when someone is already in dysthymia means that It took so long depressed or depressed "which could lead to a major episode depressive said Ortega 19659002] FM