Is Dysthymia a High Functioning Depression?

Is Dysthymia a High Functioning Depression? That's what I am talking about in this video. High functioning depression is a term people will use to describe the degree of depression someone has. That is usually determined by how they function in their day to day life. Perhaps they’re still able to go to work, go to school take care of the family etc. This is in contrast to a low functioning depressed person who may not be able to get out of bed, may not be bathing maybe failing classes because they just can't pull it together enough to do these things. So high functioning is more of a descriptive term and not really an official diagnosis.

Dysthymic disorder has been renamed persistent depressive disorder. I discuss the criteria for persistent depressive disorder in this video. Someone with dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder) can also have episodes of major depression on top of their dysthymia.

#mentalhealth #depression

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/questions, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[baybee]

I personally have been to Dr. Marks in Georgia!! She is absolutely the BEST!! I wish she was still my psychiatrist ⭐️😰

[desertrosewazir]

1.Extreme fatigue.
2.poor concentration
3.I doe not want to travel as I feel extremely anxious.
4.poor decision making.
Thise are the hallmark of my dysthymia.

[ToushiDiablo]

I never thought about it like this. I'm never really feeling overly happy and I'm aware that I'm always on the edge of a depression episode. This seems more accurate to what I feel. I'm functioning but not living fully.

[kari]

I've checked off every symptom. Behind the smile, a very thin layer, is me sad, depressed, invisible, tired, low to no energy and many times just feeling like I just don't want to exist anymore. Not die, just not exist. Just tired of this grayness, hoping just to sing or hum a song to the radio in my car, or something! I want to be happy, I want to feel I'm loved or at least, important. I'll be 57 soon, and I can't remember feeling completely happy. I want this feeling gone. I'm also trying to help my husband, who has bipolar and OCD. I'm just empty.

[viviane]

I was diagnosed with dysthymia a year ago and I am just at the beginning of my journey. I feel like wasting my time everyday, not spending enough time with my parents and in general I am very hopeless. The pandemic and a break up i was facing earlier this year, are definitely not helping either. But what I have learnt by now is, that every single downphase, no matter how hard and impossible it feels, will pass. They did in the past and i am trying to believe that they always will.
Sending lots of love to everyone who is struggling too. I hope everyone has an opportunity to go on a joirney with professional help.
Greetings from Germany

[Ramayj]

I think I might be a high functioning depressed person. I'm able to get to work daily but I struggle still with my personal hygiene which is embarrassing. I struggle to shower and brush my teeth during the work week. I feel tired most of the time and I know I'm a very pessimistic person which I just say is my personality.

[reenougle]

Never heard of dysthymia but it certainly sounds exactly how I have felt most of my life. Thank you Dr.

[janicechung]

The last time I could recall when I felt good and happy goes back to 2007. It feels like my soul has been dead since then. Is there anyone who feels this way?

[lyrapsi]

I've found the best way to control my depression to to ritualistically remind myself that it isn't real, it's not me, thereby separating it from myself and allowing myself my objectivity to get through it. It doesn't happen every time, but it makes it manageable.

[redrock]

Many years ago I "self diagnosed" as having a "mild" constant depression all my life. I'd put it down to being Melancholy - I'd never heard of depression being "mild".
I believed my symptoms were not clinical depression because I could function reasonably normally and I could still see the funny side of things - but I also knew that on paper, I should be "happier" than I I always felt emotionally flat or mild anger born from frustration of life.... never self harm/suicide though - I seem to have an abundance of Stoicism.
While I understand that it's dangerous to latch onto something that simply validates a reason to be negative - I almost teared up
when Dr. Tracey went through the symptoms and described this condition. I will explore this some more. Thx Dr. Tracey.

[simulki]

Been feeling low on life for as long I can remember. I have eaten all kind of nature suppliments, tried weight lift and do walks, eat food high in vitamins and go to bed early but even so I always feel fatigued, so much so that I do no longer care to excersise or follow any good sleep patterns. The worst part about my dysthymia is I have no intrests or goals in life, literaly none, I only do things I have to do, not because I want to, nothing brings me joy in life. I am only 26 years old and I fear the future, wondering how I will be able to live through life as I am totaly dead inside. The result of this being made me do opiodes last year as it is the only time in my life I can feel good inside, sad but true.

[karen]

I was diagnosed with Dysthymia approximately 14 years ago when I was going through a 2nd failed marriage. I took a low dosage medication for 2 years or less and decided that I would change my lifestyle by eating healthier foods and exercising each week. I also started diving within my inner being by reading self help books, taking parenting classes, and going to group therapy skills classes. Both my parents had narcissistic traits and were labeled by my therapist as para-alcoholics. So knowing about my toxic environment during childhood and how it affected me emotionally and mentally, helped me to see that my flatness/expressing little emotions was most likely an ongoing behavior that protected me from a really dysfunctional household. And, because I carried that learned dysfunction into my relationships, life for me was anything but happy. Awareness and knowledge brought me out of the hole within myself. I dived into the pain and when I surfaced, rainbows were all around me. Today, I lived a fulfilling life and it’s filled with contentment. No more flatness. When I feel a certain way that may resemble old patterns, I examine my behaviors and remove or distance myself from anything toxic Thanks for the video.

[jemgem]

This is SO me for the past 30+ years. No happiness. But I function but with huge difficulty

[misstinytrader]

It's good to finally understand what has been my entire adult life since puberty. I turned 50 November. I have learned to keep it at bay and hide it. I thank God for getting me through.

[Algo]

I was diagnosed with dysthymia and what struck me the most is that indeed I cannot pinpoint any time in my life that I have ever felt truly happy or content. Thanks for the video.

I've also had episodes of double depression and probably was going through one when I got initially diagnosed as I was having suicidal thoughts, although they were in the past? more like "yes I've had them but not now" at that moment.

[nourenaissance]

I was diagnosed with dysthymia when I was 35 after being diagnosed as just depression at 24. Dr. Marks broke this down so beautifully that I actually feel better.. somewhat

[zacsofarjustfriends]

Oh my god. The commenter’s background is identical to mine. I feel the double depression for real. We are not alone!!! Keep fighting the good fight!

[MellyMae]

This is an eye-opening video for me. I was diagnosed with dysthymia approximately 20 years ago. I was briefly on an antidepressant, but I felt no benefits, so I stopped, and I haven't dealt with it properly since. I have many of the symptoms she describes, especially the chronic gray cloud. I have chronic fatigue, have difficulty concentrating, etc. My chronic sadness and feelings of hopelessness is compounded by the fact I am married to someone who I believe, after much research, fits the criteria of having narcissistic personality disorder. Every day is a struggle for me to achieve even basic communication and cooperation with someone who has an agenda to make my life miserable. Even w/o this person in my life, I still look back on my life and see I've always felt this high-functioning depression, even though I'm basically a positive-outlook type person, but something in my psyche is always dragging me into a dark hole. People who don't know me well think I'm a super positive, happy person, but it's really just me overcompensating, trying not to get sucked down into that dark hole and possibly never being able to escape from it.

[dsmith]

I was diagnosed as having Dysthymia and have been on low grade anti depressants for the last 3 years, its amazing how little information is out there about this, thank you for discussing this and providing information on it

[noway]

One thing that was implicitly mentioned and not listed in the symptoms is that you lose interest and enjoyment in everything.