Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia): What You Need to Know

 

Persistent depressive disorder (PDD), formerly called dysthymic disorder or dysthymia, is a mental health condition characterized by a persistent low mood that lasts for at least two years. People with PDD may also experience other symptoms, such as low energy, poor concentration, and feelings of hopelessness.

PDD is a chronic condition, but it is treatable. With the right treatment, people with PDD can learn to manage their symptoms and live full and productive lives.

What are the symptoms of PDD?

The main symptom of PDD is a persistent low mood. This mood may be described as feeling sad, down, or hopeless. People with PDD may also experience:

1. Low energy
2. Poor concentration
3. Difficulty making decisions
4. Low self-esteem
5. Feelings of hopelessness
6. Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable
7. Sleep disturbances (either insomnia or hypersomnia)
8. Changes in appetite (either weight loss or weight gain)
9. Fatigue
10. Aches and pains
11. Thoughts of death or suicide

How is PDD diagnosed?

PDD is diagnosed by a mental health professional. The diagnosis is based on a review of the person's symptoms and medical history. The professional will also rule out other possible causes of the symptoms, such as a medical condition or substance abuse.
What are the treatments for PDD? PDD is a treatable condition. There are a variety of treatment options available, including:

1. 
   Medication: There are a number of medications that can be effective in treating PDD. These medications typically take several weeks to start working, and they may need to be adjusted over time.
2. Therapy: Therapy can be helpful for people with PDD. There are a number of different types of therapy that can be effective, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT).
3. Lifestyle changes: Making changes to your lifestyle can also help to manage the symptoms of PDD. These changes may include getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep.

What is the outlook for people with PDD?

The outlook for people with PDD is good. With the right treatment, people with PDD can learn to manage their symptoms and live full and productive lives. However, PDD is a chronic condition, and there is always a risk of relapse.
If you think you may have PDD, it is important to see a mental health professional for diagnosis and treatment. With the right help, you can live a happy and fulfilling life.

References

 Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson  Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033

 The Unconscious Mind: What is it and Why is it Important? - Freud

The unconscious mind is a vast and mysterious realm of our psyche that is largely hidden from our conscious awareness. However, it plays a vital role in our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

In this blog post, we will explore the concept of the unconscious mind, discuss some of its key features, and consider its importance for our psychological health.

What is the unconscious mind?

The unconscious mind is a reservoir of thoughts, feelings, memories, and desires that are outside of our conscious awareness. It is often described as a "dark continent" of the psyche because it is so difficult to access and understand. However, the unconscious mind is not completely inaccessible. We can gain some insights into its workings through dreams, slips of the tongue, and other forms of unconscious communication. 

The unconscious mind is characterized by the following features:

1. It is largely hidden from our conscious awareness.
2. It is dynamic and constantly active.
3. It is influenced by our emotions and drives.
4. It can store memories that we have repressed or forgotten.
5. It can generate creative ideas and solutions to problems.
6. The importance of the unconscious mind

The unconscious mind plays a vital role in our psychological health. It helps us to process emotions, store memories, and make decisions. It also plays a role in our creativity and problem-solving abilities.

However, the unconscious mind can also be a source of problems. For example, unconscious conflicts can lead to anxiety and depression. Unconscious memories of trauma can cause us to relive negative experiences. And unconscious desires can lead us to make self-destructive choices.

Conclusion

The unconscious mind is a complex and fascinating realm of our psyche. It is important to understand its workings in order to achieve psychological health and well-being.

If you are struggling with unconscious conflicts or other psychological problems, it is important to seek professional help. A therapist can help you to explore your unconscious mind and develop healthy coping mechanisms.

I hope this blog post has been informative and helpful. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

References

 Freud, S. (1911). The Interpretation of Dreams (3rd ed.). Hayes Barton Press.         https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/L-999-74204

 

Sigmund Freud and his theories:

Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) is probably the most controversial and misunderstood psychological theorist. When reading Freud’s theories, it is important to remember that he was a medical doctor, not a psychologist. There was no such thing as a degree in psychology at the time that he received his education, which can help us understand some of the controversy over his theories today. However, Freud was the first to systematically study and theorize the workings of the unconscious mind in the manner that we associate with modern psychology.

In the early years of his career, Freud worked with Josef Breuer, a Viennese physician. During this time, Freud became intrigued by the story of one of Breuer’s patients, Bertha Pappenheim, who was referred to by the pseudonym Anna O. (Lovett et al., 2020).

Anna O. had been caring for her dying father when she began to experience symptoms such as partial paralysis, headaches, blurred vision, amnesia, and hallucinations (Launer, 2005). In Freud’s day, these symptoms were commonly referred to as hysteria. Anna O. turned to Breuer for help. He spent 2 years (1880–1882) treating Anna O. and discovered that allowing her to talk about her experiences seemed to bring some relief to her symptoms. Anna O. called his treatment the “talking cure” (Lovett et al., 2020). Despite the fact that Freud never met Anna O., her story served as the basis for the 1895 book, Studies on Hysteria, which he co-authored with Breuer.

Based on Breuer’s description of Anna O.’s treatment, Freud concluded that hysteria was the result of sexual abuse in childhood and that these traumatic experiences had been hidden from consciousness. Breuer disagreed with Freud, which soon ended their work together. However, Freud continued to work to refine talk therapy and build his theory on personality.

To explain the concept of conscious versus unconscious experience, Freud compared the mind to an iceberg (Lovett et al., 2020). He said that only about one-tenth of our mind is conscious, and the rest of our mind is unconscious. Our unconscious refers to that mental activity of which we are unaware and unable to access (Lovett et al., 2020). According to Freud, unacceptable urges and desires are kept in our unconscious through a process called repression.

For example, we sometimes say things that we don’t intend to say by unintentionally substituting another word for the one we meant. You’ve probably heard of a Freudian slip, the term used to describe this. Freud suggested that slips of the tongue are actually sexual or aggressive urges accidentally slipping out of our unconscious. Speech errors such as this are quite common. Seeing them as a reflection of unconscious desires, linguists today have found that slips of the tongue tend to occur when we are tired, nervous, or not at our optimal level of cognitive functioning.

According to Freud, our personality develops from a conflict between two forces: our biological aggressive and pleasure-seeking drives versus our internal (socialized) control over these drives. Our personality is the result of our efforts to balance these two competing forces. Freud suggested that we can understand this by imagining three interacting systems within our minds. He called them the id, ego, and superego.

The unconscious id contains our most primitive drives or urges and is present from birth. It directs impulses for hunger, thirst, and sex. Freud believed that the id operates on what he called the “pleasure principle,” in which the id seeks immediate gratification.

Through social interactions with parents and others in a child’s environment, the ego and superego develop to help control the id. The superego develops as a child interacts with others learning social rules for right and wrong. The superego acts as our conscience; it is our moral compass that tells us how we should behave.

References

 Lovett, R.M.S.W.J.J.M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e (2nd ed.). OpenStax.

     https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781951693237