The voice on my answering machine says, T am calling to cancel my appointment for tomorrow. I am just too upset to come in and talk about it.’ This is the paradox of severe depression. It is a downward spiral. You feel so bad you have no wish to seek assistance nor any hope that [...]

Dysthymia, a term coined in the 1980s for minor depression, was previously known in the 1950s as depressive neurosis and in the 1970s as depressive personality. It is a mild but persistent form of depression that afflicts at least 2 to 3 million people. According to the DSM-IV criteria, a diagnosis of dysthymia requires a [...]