Hello guys,
I was wondering whether anyone can explain me how those both disorders from the title differ.
If you have MADD, is it a specific kind of depression, or is it dysthymia + anxiety (or maybe MDD and anxiety), or is it something completely different?
Most sources I encounter don’t mention anything or tackle the issue of PDD vs. MDD, which is not really an answer to my question.
Thank you very much in advance.
In: Biology
I am not a doctor but have been diagnosed worry dysthymia in the past. I’ve also had some issues with anxiety, so while it is mostly anecdotal at least I have some first hand experience.
From my understanding of MADD, it’s when anxiety and depressive symptoms are experienced, potentially linked, but not severe enough to warrant diagnoses of their own. If either side of that was severe enough then that particular symptom would be the cornerstone of the diagnosis. While anxiety will often present with people with depression that doesn’t necessarily make it qualify for MADD, which are often less severe or present with lesser symptoms that don’t have as extreme effect on day to day life.
For me though, my anxiety isn’t linked to any depressive tendencies that my doctor or I could really determine, but dysthymia was considered. I didn’t really have experiences that would be considered for depression (or at least didn’t hit a minimum in the survey that day). I’ve found the best way to explain dysthymia is to think of essentially a sine wave where y=mood and x=time. Compared to an asymptomatic person the amplitude would be less in the dysthymic person (lower highs and higher lows) and the average is going to be below 0.
Essentially you’re kinda just “meh” most of the time. You don’t have those “I can’t even face getting out of bed today” lows that someone with a major depression diagnosis might face. That said, it’s probably never going to be all sunshine and rainbows.
So while MADD will be like having both anxiety and depressive episodes, they’re not going to be as severe as just having one or another to an extreme (and even if you had a major diagnosis for one or the other you may still also present with some of the other one) dysthymia is just operating at a lower baseline with weaker extremes in mood.
The best place to differentiate the two disorders would be in the [DSM V Dysthymia](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t6/) and [DSM V MDD](http://www.medicaidmentalhealth.org/_assets/file/Guidelines/2017-2018%20Treatment%20of%20Adult%20Major%20Depressive%20Disorder.pdf) . The DSM V is the Diagnostic Statistical Manuel used by doctors and psychologists to assist in the diagnosis of patients.
MDD is typically diagnosed when 5 of the 9 (SIG E CAPS) symptoms are met over at least a 2 week period
Sleep – insomnia
Interest – anhedonia or loss of interest in activities
Guilt
Energy – Low energy
Concentration – difficulty concentrating
Appetite – changes in appetite either eating more or less
Psychomotor – changes in motor functions
Suicide – suicidal ideation or attempts
PDD (dysthymia) is similar in symptoms but a major distinguishing feature is that it requires 2 years of symptoms with symptoms occurring for more days than not. In most cases the depressive symptoms are relatively less severe than MDD but persist for more time.
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