Some people can remember to the date when their depression started.
Me? I can’t. I can’t tell you when it started because I just don’t remember. My childhood was happy enough, good family, some friends, great school and teachers. Then I got really sad, well, no; I was just experiencing little and sometimes no joy in my life. I don’t remember when it started, I just remember that I had a hard time enjoying things and having fun. I became inactive and withdrawn; I worried and worry frequently, and I criticize myself as being a failure. Sleep? That is something I could only dream of, that is if I could stay asleep long enough to dream.
I still have it have, but I think it’s under control most days. It’s very hard to explain because yes, I am depressed but I am not the typical depressed person.
She has something called Dysthymia. Dysthymia is like depression’s little annoying brother; it's a milder yet more enduring type of depression that affects women two to three times more often than men. When a person has had continuous depressed mood for at least two years, dysthymia is diagnosis. People with dysthymia may appear to be chronically mildly depressed to the point that it seems to be a part of their personality. When a person finally seeks treatment for dysthymia, it is not uncommon that he/she has had this condition for a number of years. Because dysthymia may develop early in a person's life, it is not uncommon for someone with this condition to believe that it is normal to always feel depressed. They often to do realize that the quality of their mood is anything out of the ordinary.
I try so hard to remember the day that I was ripped in two and both halves watched me become a ghost. I cannot remember. It seems like I have been this way all my life.
Dysthymia is a condition that tends to develop early in a person's life, but most people don’t get help until years or decades later. This is unfortunate since the sooner a person seeks help the sooner he or she can get relief and possibly avoid further distress. Early treatment may help avoid more serious mood disorders, difficulties in school and social life, and possible substance abuse problems.
I think there is hope; meds help some. I go on living. The difference with dysthymia and depression and is that depression tends to not last as long, and it is, most often, very server. Dysthymia can last for years going unnoticed, like AIDS waiting for just the right time. It slowly spreads throughout your body and mind and when it attacks it becomes depression. I have never attempted suicide, but I have had thoughts about it. I had been numb for years; it grows old after a while.
People with dysthymia are more likely to be suicidal then people with major depression. People with dysthymia are more likely to develop major depression and go into a stage called double depression.
Here are some things I suggest for people with dysthymia:
- Get help- the sooner the better.
- Medication has helped people with both dysthymia and depression.
- Talk to someone- don’t bottle it up. IT IS OKAY TO VENT!
- Find creative ways to expression emotions such as art, music, writing, or exercise.
“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad.”
