Do you have low level depression?
Low level depression is the alternative name for Persistant Depression Disorder (or PDD). It was previously known as Dysthymia, and it is very hard to spot. It can go undiagnosed for long periods of time, and if you’ve had the symptoms listed below for two years plus, you may be suffering from it.
It is a rarer black dog than Major Depressive Disorder. Sufferers may have felt sad or pessimistic for a long period of time without relising they are in the grip of a mood disorder. And unfortunately women are the larger percentage of sufferers.
I’ve had a client with PDD who described it as ‘losing my happy self one week at a time.’ She said she was at a point of tolerating life, coping, but but had lost all sense of joy for anything. Her occasions for laughter reduced, her creativity dropped (and she worked in photography). She felt like life was a matter of survival, one day at a time, rather than trying to reach for, or even hope to be thriving. It was like Winter every day. Life for her was no longer in colour and she had gotten used to it. She was always blaming external circumstances, believing it would pass, rather than looking in the mirrror.
Thank goodness she reached out to her GP and her healing journey began. We met not long after that.
There are multiple mood disorders but this is one that wreaks havoc over the long term with a steady procession of symptoms. However, medication can help but therapy will be needed, possibly long term (3-12 months as an average).
Symptoms to look for:
It would show up as a number of these functions and emotions in you regularly:
Low concentraition
Low motivation
Reduced self-esteem
You always feel run down
Low energy
Sleeping- too much or not enough
Eating- too much or not enough
Difficult to experience joy
Digestive disorders (heartburn, IBS)
Pessimistic
Cant enjoy happy events
Don’t enjoy hobbies you used to
Keeps you from functioning at 100%
-Social media can make it worse
How to treat it:
Immediately: make an appointment with a GP or therapist. Put a plan in place.
Yourself, with help from a counsellor:
Exercise and nature.
Lifestyle plan - Healthy eating, sleep, work balance.
Social support.
Refrain from alcohol/too much caffeine.
Self awareness tools - Positive mantras, journalling, deep breathing, resetting self-talk, tapping (EFT).
Further work: The symptoms could also be leftover trauma manifesting from the past. Therapy would be needed to clear this or the mood disorder may reoccur.