Bad Mood And Chronic Apathy: Hidden Depression

Even if we identify depression with sadness, sometimes we develop a kind of bad mood and chronic apathy which, if they extend over time, can lead to psychological disorders.

Bad mood and chronic apathy often hide an illness, which takes a long time to be diagnosed. 

We go through prolonged periods where any word affects us, and we start the day with latent discomfort.

We lack courage and we lose our ability to see the positive side of things.

What is more complex is that, despite everything, we continue to be “functional”. We can go to work, we go, we come, we talk and we smile, pretending to be well.

However, we know that something is happening, and until we receive the diagnosis we are going through a very complicated time on a personal level.

This disorder is called dysthymia, a disease that you should be aware of.

Bad mood and chronic apathy, an inherited disease

We all experience the bad mood and apathy that envelops and suffocates us at very specific times. This is normal because negative emotions are a part of our life.

These animal states characterized by this malaise are often not very intense and they last little.

It is enough to change air, and to take away the importance of what is not worth it, to feel better.

But there are people who feel this bad feeling every day, and even for several years.

When this bad “perception” of being charged with negativity lasts between 6 months and two years, it is a depression.

We will tell you more about it.

Dysthymia, the most common morale disorder

It is a minor type of depression, but very common in the population.

According to the DSM-V (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders), it is characterized by:

• Lack of energy.
• Feelings of negativity and apathy.
• Days of sleeplessness and others, great drowsiness.
• Lack of appetite.
• The feeling of hopelessness.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• The feeling that no one understands us.

As we told you at the start, one of the hallmarks of dysthymia is that you can live with it for years without being diagnosed. 

The weight of genetics in dysthymia

There is an important fact to take into account: dysthymia originates from an alteration in the neurochemistry of our brain.

• That is to say, one should not absolutely look for external causes of this ill-being. Often times, we lack that chemical fuel of good humor due to a dopamine deficit.
• It is common for dysthymia to be passed from parent to child. When we see our mother or father saddened or in a bad mood, it is very difficult to understand what is happening to them. Yet as we grow older and come into adolescence and some form of maturity, we start to feel the same way.

The weight of genetics is there, as is a small alteration in our neurotransmitters.

All this should convince us of the need to follow a medical treatment thanks to which we can feel better little by little.

Manage dysthymia on a daily basis

Even though dysthymia is a “minor” depression, if left untreated and addressed appropriately, it can develop into severe depression.

Bad mood and apathy always have an origin that we must know how to manage.

If we realize that everything is beyond us and we fall into a feeling of despondency where everything loses interest, it is time to ask for help.

The need to make a diagnosis

When we are told that we are suffering from depression, it is scary. But, there is nothing better than knowing your “enemy” to discover his weaknesses and overcome him.

• The diagnosis is accompanied by medical treatment. It is possible, that at the beginning, it does not offer the expected results.
  Health professionals then offer several treatments until one of them adjusts to our needs.

Find the “vital fuel” that keeps you going

Pharmacological treatment must be accompanied by therapy that allows us to emerge from this shell and create a protective “crust” in our brain.

• Look for new dreams in your daily life, don’t be satisfied with small changes, because  there are vital moments when we need to make a 180 ° C turning point. 
• The support of our people is essential, but know that there are people who do not understand depression and who think that we are fragile.

Choose carefully the people who are by your side.

Depression cannot be cured, it is transcended.

It is not a cold where our immune defenses are responsible for repelling the virus. Depression requires personal strength, courage, good treatment and the willpower that comes from within.

In conclusion, always listen to your emotions. If you notice that a bad mood and apathy are walls in your daily life that take away your energy and well-being, ask for help.

You deserve to feel better and you can make it happen.