Dysthymia, major depression, and double depression among individuals receiving substance abuse treatment.docVIP

Vol.4, No.12, 1229-1237 (2012) Health /10.4236/health.2012.412181 Dysthymia, major depression, and double depression among individuals receiving substance abuse treatment Naelys Diaz , Eloise Gail Horton , Michael Weiner 1* 1 2 1 * 2 Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA; Corresponding Author: ndiaz10@ Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches, Inc., North Palm Beach, USA Received 11 October 2012; revised 18 November 2012; accepted 24 November 2012 ABSTRACT and social impairment than individuals with episodic major depression [2]. Dysthymia is a common mood disorder that has a lifetime prevalence rate of approxi- mately 6% in the general population [3,4] and 22% in outpatient mental health settings [5]. Dysthymic disorder is defined as a low-grade and chronic depression that lasts for at least 2 years for adults Diagnostic and Statis- tical Manual of Mental Disorders IV-TR [6]. A ten-year prospective, naturalistic follow-up study was conducted comparing the course of depression among outpatients with double depression (DD) (that is, dysthymia comorbid with major depression), pure dyst- hymic disorder, and major depressive disorder [7]. Find- ings supported data from a previous study [2], whereby outpatients who experienced double depression and pure dysthymia indicated significantly higher levels of de- pression at the ten-year follow-up compared to outpa- tients with major depressive disorder. Furthermore, the individuals with double depression and pure dysthymic disorder spent a greater amount of time during the 10 year follow-up period of the study meeting criteria for a mood disorder compared to outpatients with major de- pressive disorder. Considering these results on length of illness of dyst- hymia, the severity of dysthymic disorder and DD when compared