Are You Always Unhappy?
What is Chronic Depression or Ongoing Depression Disorder (Dysthymia)?
We all have problems in life. There may be periods when you feel unhappy, anxious or angry. Our human side consists of these; Happiness, excitement and peace, as well as the negative emotions we feel, are parts of our human side and our lives. However, sometimes our unhappy side takes over our being and jumps onto the stage to play the leading role by stealing a role from other emotions; It never seems to go away.
Of course, there may be various reasons for this unhappiness that are specific to us; due to the end of a close relationship such as the loss of a close and loved one, problems we experience with others, loss of performance at work, academic difficulties, decrease in school performance, difficulties we experience before making major decisions about our lives (marriage, job change, etc.) or any other stress factor. We may feel extremely unhappy, anxious or hopeless. Already conducted studies point out that, apart from our biological predispositions and temperament factors, many stressful life events that can be effective are the preparations and triggers for depression.
Here, apart from our innate temperamental characteristics, our personality structure shaped by our life experiences also affects depression or other clinical conditions. It is worth saying that it can determine our susceptibility to illnesses. So how? Let me state here that I would be happy to help with some concepts of schema therapy theory. According to this theory, there are 18 different schemas that are universally seen in all people, regardless of whether they are pathological or non-pathological, normal or abnormal. These schemas are shaped by our innate temperament characteristics and life experiences, especially our early experiences. The type of relationship we establish with our parents in our early lives, whether our needs are met in this period or the way our needs are met, plays a significant role in our schemas.
Accordingly, for example, we did not receive enough love, affection or warmth in our early lives, and our emotions People who have not been listened to and taken into account may not receive the emotional closeness they need from others in the future. They may have an emotional deprivation schema with the expectation that it will not be fulfilled (J.E. Young et al., 2011). Someone with this schema may constantly avoid close relationships as a way of coping with the schema, with the expectation that their emotional needs will never be met (H.A.Karaosmanoğlu, 2017). Since schemas generally continue to affect us outside our field of awareness, a person with such a schema tends to continue his life in a constantly avoidant manner, away from close relationships or with superficial close relationships. However, an underlying dissatisfaction and a constant unhappiness characterized by the inability to be close enough and to establish warm and satisfying relationships can dominate the entire mood. If we consider the universal human need to establish close ties with others, we can understand how vital it is for the person to not be able to meet this need.
Or the excessive expectations of his family in his early life ("the most hardworking, the most talented, the most beautiful" A child who grows up and is constantly compared to others and whose positive behavior is not adequately mirrored may develop failure, imperfection, high standards (perfectionism), or justification schemes. Someone who grows up like this and has a defective schema may choose to avoid expressing their true feelings and thoughts in their relationships with people, with the expectation that they will be rejected and criticized by others, as a way of coping with this schema.
The emotional deprivation we are trying to define through examples. and culpability schemas, I would like to take a break from this broad and endless subject and return to our topic, depression.
In the first example, the behavioral pattern involved avoiding close relationships, and in the second example, avoiding expressing one's true feelings and thoughts. . Let's imagine this is a pattern that repeats throughout life. Taking into account our other basic needs, such as establishing close relationships with others, secure attachment, belonging, and approval, which constitute our vital needs...
In addition, one of the clinically prominent findings in depression is social withdrawal. Social Assuming that we do not yet know whether withdrawal is a cause or a result…
Both examples above, although not in all cases and in everyone, can sometimes constitute the underlying dynamics of Chronic Depression or Ongoing Depression Disorder, which we define as Dysthymia. According to DSM-5 (DSM-5, 2013), which develops the international diagnostic criteria for mental disorders, the symptoms of Ongoing Depression Disorder are as follows:
-A depressed mood most days and most of the day for at least two years. (such as feeling tearful, sad, hopeless or empty).
-The person may feel low in energy or exhausted.
-Self-esteem (self-esteem, feeling of self-confidence, etc.). .) may have decreased.
-The person may have difficulties focusing on something or making decisions.
-The person may have feelings of hopelessness and pessimism.
-The desire to eat has decreased. or may have increased.
-The need for sleep may have increased or decreased.
All these symptoms may cause significant distress or social, professional, etc. It becomes possible to talk about the existence of Dysthymia when it causes a significant decrease in functionality in areas.
In this article, we tried to focus on the background and possible causes of depression, which is defined as the disease of the age, as well as Ongoing Depression (Dysthymia). p>
Please do not hesitate to get support from an expert if you feel that you cannot cope with the problem you are experiencing.
Wishing you a healthy day,
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