You've got everything - so why are you depressed?

by NAOMI COLEMAN, femail.co.uk

You have a great family life and a good job. Your husband is considerate and supportive and your income means you can afford a nice home, car and holidays - yet you can't help feeling that life is pointless.

If this sounds familiar, you could be suffering from a little known condition called dysthymia.

Often unrecognised by the sufferer, dysthymia is a mood disorder experienced by three per cent of the British population at some point in their lives.

It is twice as likely to affect women than men and can last as long as twenty years.

Clinical psychologists report that although the condition can affect anyone, those prone to dysthymia are often successful, intelligent people who don't appear to have any obvious reasons for feeling unhappy.

Richard Shelton, professor of pharmachology and psychiatry at Vanderbilt University based in Tennesee, America, says: 'Successful, intelligent people who have everything going for them often say to me 'why am I like this, I don't have any reason to be unhappy.' And in fact, in most cases, they don't.'

There is little concrete evidence to prove what actually causes dysthymia. Some medical experts suggest it is hereditary, while others say it stems from early experiences in childhood.

Professor Shelton believes people who lead stressful lives and are vunerable to depression are the most likely victims. This is because the brain apparatus for managing stress becomes dysfunctional in those people prone to depression.

This so-called 'despondent' depression causes the sufferer to experience a downward spiral of low spirits, self-worthlessness and general feeling of hopelessness - often without realising it.

Classic symptoms include a combination of two or more problems. These range from poor appetite or overeating, sleep disruption - either insomnia or disturbed sleep patterns - poor concentration, difficulty making decisions, low self-esteem, and above all an overwhelming feeling of pointlessness.

Unlike depression - which is triggered by a major event such as bereavement or retirement - there are no obvious reasons for developing dysthymia.

Dysthymia may periodically have episodes of major depression superimposed upon it. When this occurs, it is known as double depression.

Whereas depression lasts around one year, dysthymia arrives gradually for no apparent reason, can last for at least two years and linger for another ten to twenty years.

Although the condition has been acknowledged for twenty years, it is still under-recognised and hard to diagnose. This is partly because until recently, it was considered a neurosis - a phobia or compulsive behaviour - and has also been confused with clinical depression as it shares similar traits.

The other problem is that people are often oblivious to the condition. 'Sufferers of dysthymia get used to feeling low,' says Kasia Szymanska, of the Centre for Stress Management in London.

'It becomes second nature and the line between normal behaviour and dysthymia becomes blurred and hazy.'

In the short term, people can turn to alcohol and smoking to numb the feelings of unhappiness and negative self-worth. In the long term, dysthymia can lead to clinical depression and thoughts of suicide.

Dysthymia is not a condition you can typically conquer on your own. It's hard to recognise and manage without help. The good news is that medical circles are becoming increasingly aware of it and it is relatively easy to treat with anti-depressants and the right kind of professional help.