Continuing the topic of personality typology, let me remind you that accentuation is a pronounced character trait that does not go beyond the norm of deviations in human psychology and behavior. Accentuation manifests itself to the greatest extent in certain unfavorable life circumstances for a person. This influences a person’s behavior and attitude towards others.
In the previous article, I described the classification of A. E. Lichko and mentioned that it is consonant with the classification of K. Leonhard, a German scientist and psychiatrist, they seem to complement each other. I will dwell on it in more detail.
Character traits
As already mentioned, distims are more focused on the negative. They manage to get upset and feel sad even when joyful events occur in their lives.
At the very least, they only notice what can upset them. Happiness passes by them as if in transit, without lingering in memories at all.
They are characterized by slow thinking and reactions to various stimuli. Before saying anything, they take a long pause, collecting their thoughts and thinking through every word. They do not actively participate in conversations; they mostly listen silently, occasionally inserting remarks and comments.
A child of the dysthymic type is easy to identify; he is usually unconfident, timid and fearful. He is rarely seen playing, which is accompanied by loud laughter.
Usually he concentrates on collecting construction sets and mosaics and refuses to participate in competitions and other group meetings.
He prefers loneliness, it’s calmer and safer for him, and it gives him the opportunity to reflect on some sad aspects of life, while no one distracts him with conversations.
Main types of dysthymia
Let's take a closer look at the two types of dysthymia:
Somatized dysthymia (cathesthetic)
This type of disorder is characterized by general poor health, rapid heartbeat, constipation, shortness of breath in the absence of physical activity, intermittent sleep, and tearfulness. The patient feels irrational anxiety.
Characterological dysthymia (characterogenic)
This type of illness is characteristic of a constitutionally depressive personality type. Feelings that an individual constantly experiences: a tendency to the blues, pronounced pessimism, constant thoughts and reasoning about the meaninglessness of life.
Professional activity
They are excellent workers, only on the condition that they are not given strict time frames and demand quick results. They are able to perform painstaking and monotonous work, which not everyone will undertake, carefully checking all the details and nuances.
Responsible and executive. You can certainly rely on distims; if they have agreed to solve some problem, they will not abandon it halfway through. And they keep their words.
Frequent interactions with other people cause tension and stress, which has an extremely negative impact on their well-being and productivity. Therefore, it is better to choose a profession that is not related to communication and making responsible decisions.
This psychotype has a highly developed sense of justice. He will not steal, put the company and employees in danger, and violate boundaries that are established even unspoken.
Occupying a leadership position, he receives recognition from his subordinates, who can safely count on his conscientiousness and tact.
In case of any failures, he is inclined to blame himself, despite the fact that he was completely unable to influence some events.
Force majeure situations can lead him to a nervous breakdown, since he is completely incapable of coping with difficulties and quickly finding the most optimal ways to solve problems.
Therefore, at a moment of stress, he does not think about what to do to correct mistakes, but completely surrenders to the process of self-flagellation.
Symptoms of dysthymia
The main symptom of the disease is considered to be chronically low mood. The situation with a general basement condition can be observed for two years or more.
Check out the list below. If you have two or more symptoms, you may have a disorder
:
- Sleep problems, manifested in the form of insomnia, early awakenings, obvious drowsiness during the day.
- Disturbed eating behavior caused by decreased appetite or excessive overeating.
- Constant lack of energy and fatigue.
- Low self-esteem, feelings of personal worthlessness, tendency to self-criticism, self-flagellation.
- A systematic feeling of emptiness, reluctance to think about anything.
- Slow reaction, distracted attention, inability to make quick decisions.
- Loss of interest in usual hobbies and reluctance to do what you once liked.
- Periodic headaches, cardiovascular diseases, joint pain, and other ailments that cannot be eliminated with medications.
- Pessimism, doubts about one's future.
- Thoughts about suicide.
Dysthymic disorder
The danger of this type of character accentuation is that it can lead oneself to a mental disorder called dysthymia with gloomy thoughts and focusing only on the negative.
This is depression, only in a lighter format. It just lasts longer than usual. Therefore, it is recommended that it be treated by qualified specialists without expecting that the condition will improve on its own.
The danger of dysthymia is that it can begin in adolescence and last about two years.
Therefore, usually the patient themselves and their loved ones simply come to the conclusion that the warning signs of the disorder are just character traits and perceive them as a given, which they simply need to come to terms with.
Here's another reason why it's so important to see a doctor when the first symptoms of dysthymia appear. A psychotherapist or psychiatrist will be able to diagnose the presence or absence of a disorder.
Signs
The following symptoms may bother you for two or even three years in a row. Moments of improvement are quite likely, but they are short-term and last approximately 10 to 14 days.
- The attitude towards the future is extremely negative, while the past is remembered with trepidation. It is idealized, although at that moment the person did not feel the value of what was happening. It is acquired over time, as nostalgia.
- The ability to concentrate is reduced, attention is scattered, and a person is simply unable to hold it or control it.
- A low level of energy, accordingly, performance decreases; you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning or move in general.
- Insomnia, nightmares.
- Changes in appetite, most often it increases, as a person with this disorder seeks to enjoy life, replacing feelings of anxiety and hopelessness with food. But there are situations with refusal of food. It all depends on how she is used to reacting to stressful situations and coping with tension.
- Lack of sexual desire, low excitability.
- Self-esteem becomes critically low. A person is unable to rely on his resources and capabilities; he does not believe that he is capable of anything.
- Loss of satisfaction from activities that previously brought joy. That is, he feels indifference to his favorite hobbies and even close people.
Treatment
Dysthymia is usually treated with psychotherapy as well as medications prescribed by a psychiatrist.
Usually these are antidepressants in order to normalize mood and return the patient to the opportunity to experience the full range of feelings and sensations, in addition to sadness, hopelessness and sadness.
It is important to diagnose the presence of secondary mental illnesses that arose as a result of the development of this disorder.
For example, social phobia, panic attacks, addiction to alcohol, nicotine and other psychoactive substances that the patient uses to improve his emotional state may appear.
Being moody for several years is quite a difficult experience. This is why there are often attempts to commit suicide in order to get rid of suffering.
In severe cases, we can talk about “double depression”, this is when dysthymia occurs with repeated depressive states.
Dysthymia: what is it?
What do psychologists say about the disease?
General information
Dysthymia is a chronic depressive disorder, also called minor depression. It occurs in a mild form, but is protracted - symptoms can appear over several years. The term was first used by psychiatrist R. Spitzer. Now this designation is being replaced by the terms psychasthenia and neurasthenia.
Who is at risk of getting sick?
It is believed that people with certain mental characteristics are more often predisposed to dysthymia. Sometimes the disorder occurs due to chemical disorders in the brain, due to insufficient production of serotonin, a hormone responsible for resistance to stressful situations.
Recommendations
- Dysthymic individuals should lead a healthy lifestyle. That is, watch your diet, do exercises, spend a lot of time in the fresh air and completely give up nicotine and other substances that cause addiction.
- Stop seclusion in order to indulge in despondency, which is typical for this psychotype. Try to find the strength to communicate with other people, otherwise you will distance yourself so much that later it will be very difficult to join the social life that is boiling around at such a moment.
- Look for reasons to laugh and be happy. Play the game, trying to find as many positive reasons for a situation as possible. For example, if it rains, then think of why it is good and not bad if you don’t like it.
- If your loved one belongs to this character accentuation, praise him as often as possible. This will help raise his self-esteem and, possibly, his mood.
Factors that provoke the disease
To date, there is no single expert theory about the factors that provoke this type of chronic depression. The most likely hypothesis suggests a direct connection between the onset of the disease and changes in the chemical composition of substances that affect brain activity. A key factor in the formation of depressive disorder is considered to be a deficiency of serotonin, which is the main neurotransmitter.
Factors that increase the chances of dysthymia
:
- Chronic somatic diseases.
- Regular exposure to stress factors.
- Individual properties of the nervous system and a number of personal characteristics.
- Difficult situations “from childhood” in the form of strict upbringing, loss of loved ones, social isolation.
- Incorrect rest and work schedule.
- Junk food, lack of diet.
Dysthymia test
We suggest taking a fairly simple test that will help you determine whether you have dysthymia. So, read the questions and give yourself one point for each positive answer.
Questions
:
- Does it take a lot of effort to make you happy?
- Do you often notice that you are in a depressed mood?
- When you smile, don't you always actually feel happy?
- Do you find it difficult to switch off from all your worries and start having fun?
- Do your everyday life go by without expecting any joys from life?
- Do you tend to be pessimistic about your own life?
- Do you often think about something unpleasant?
- Do you think your life is very difficult?
- Do you consider your own life to be meaningless?
- Do you lose your temper easily and despair when you fail?
- Do you often feel guilty?
- Is your conscience tormenting you because of past mistakes?
- Can you be called an insecure person?
- When talking about your failures, do you feel ashamed and uncomfortable?
- Do you not really like to talk a lot and prefer to remain silent in conversations?
- Are you cool with telling jokes?
- Do you feel discomfort when being in the company of confident and happy people?
- Is sunny weather not having any positive effect on your overall mood?
Now count up all positive answers in points
:
- 0-11
– you don’t have to worry about having dysthymia. - 11-14
– you are close to dysthymia or its initial stage. - 15-18
– you undoubtedly have dysthymia, which can turn into serious depression, so be sure to take action.
Seasonal dysthymia
Some people experience seasonal dysthymia without always noticing it. As the name implies, the disease comes with the change of season. Typically, during the autumn period, changes in mood, sleep patterns, appetite, and energy levels are observed. It is believed that about 2% of people are susceptible to deep seasonal depression. Milder forms are typical for 15% of people.
Signs of summer affective disorder (it is not so common): insomnia, anxiety, poor appetite.
Signs of winter affective disorder: overeating, drowsiness, cravings for foods high in carbohydrates, narrowing the circle of social contacts.
