Suffering from dysthymia ?

Question

what can i do? no prescription medication answers please, is there anything all natural that can help?

Answer 1

As with other forms of depression, a number of treatments exist for Dysthymia. Doctors most commonly use psychotherapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, to help change the mind-set of the individual affected. Additionally doctors may prescribe a variety of antidepressant medications

Some evidence suggests the combination of medication and psychotherapy may result in the greatest improvement. The most commonly prescribed anti-depressants for this disorder are the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs),which include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), and citalopram (Celexa). SSRIs are easy to take and relatively safe compared with older forms of anti-depressants. Other new anti-depressants include bupropion (Wellbutrin), venlafaxine (Effexor), mirtazapine (Remeron), and duloxetine (Cymbalta).

Answer 2

I have also suffered from dysthymic disorder. I had mild depression, severe mood swings, anhedonia, anxiety, and some insomnia. I also had difficulty making the least important decisions, such as which way to turn on a sidewalk, and was easily confused.

Anhedonia is the loss of ability to experience pleasure from normally pleasurable life events such as eating, exercise, social and sexual interactions. I could barely taste my food, and s*x wasn't even worth having to take a shower. It was horrible.

With the insomnia I was unable to fall asleep for several hours, because my mind was racing 90 miles an hour. Then, I would only sleep for an hour - hour 1/2 before I just suddenly sat straight up for no reason, and gasped for air. After that, my heart would be racing and it'd take several hours to fall asleep again. My mind was racing so fast I could barely grasp anything that I felt anxious about. It wasn't anything particular. (It was torture. I was in the military, too, so I had to get up early and do stuff all day without slacking off.)

It's common for someone with this condition to feel as if they have been depressed for years. (Even though I really had.)

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Have you actually been diagnosed by a psychiatrist? A physician can guess that it is your problem, but I would only trust a psychiatrist for this type of diagnosis. Doctors tend to want to medicate everything, instead of trying to find the root of the problem. That's what they're trained to do. (And why the drug industry makes so much money.)

My psychiatrist prescribed me Trazadone, which I took for 3 months. I was supposed to take it for a year, at least, but I don't like drugging myself and I only took it until I was able to fall asleep on my own again. He also instructed me to take some therapy sessions for anger management and negativity. Unfortunately, I was too depressed and negative to believe they would help. (Irony?)

I tried a few different herbal remedies that were supposed to help mood disorders, but none of them really helped enough to make it worth the money. You can take a walk through a health food store and what the herbs are for will be written on the labels. Follow the instructions! I made myself sick by taking too much kava kava root, which is one herb that is supposed to elevate mood.

The best thing that helped me to get through it was reminding myself that every negative thought I had was silly, and then I would state the good side of the situation. There is almost always a good side to things that bother you when you're depressed. You'll be surprised, if you try it. Do not let negative thoughts take over your life! There are bad things in life, but there are plenty of good things too. Focus on the positive and learn to accept the negative. If you burst into tears for no apparent reason, go somewhere alone and let it all out. Don't be ashamed, because you'll feel so much pressure relieved afterward. Then when you're done, you can have a good laugh at yourself for breaking down over nothing, rather than focusing on the negative thoughts that went through your head while you were weeping. When it comes to depression, laughter really is the best medicine!

Many people that are depressed tend to isolate themselves indoors, and sleep too much. Try to force yourself to be around positive people, get some exercise, eat a healthy diet, and remember to get some sunshine. It sounds like regurgitated nonsense, but IT REALLY DOES HELP!!!

It's a (very) long process, and is difficult to do on your own, but the best and most important thing you can do is to change your way of thinking. I was a negative person to begin with, because of a hard life, and am actually healthier mentally since I had been diagnosed with dysthymia.

I know that this kind of disorder can leave you feeling hopeless, but please listen to my advice. Drugs, as well as herbal remedies, only treat you temporarily, while my advice will help you through your entire life. I have never been as happy as I am now, after having been diagnosed with dysthymia, and I still practice positive thinking every day. After a few years, it will come naturally for you.

You'll be glad to know that my psychiatrist also told me that it usually goes away on its own in about 2 years. I can't say for sure that my methods cured it, but I do know that it made the whole process more tolerable and that is has changed my life for the better.