PDD: Are we all suffering from it? In one way or the other?

05 December 2023 – PDD, meaning persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia) may be underlaying this indifferently lingering “Meh” feeling we all may have or are living through at times. “Meh” is a colloquial interjection used as an expression of indifference or boredom. It is often regarded as a verbal equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders. The use of   the term “meh” shows that the speaker is apathetic, uninterested, or indifferent to the question or subject at hand.

PDD may remain un- or  under-diagnosed and many individuals who suffer from it have never heard of it. PDD is a mental and behavioral disorder, specifically a disorder primarily of mood, consisting of similar cognitive and physical problems as major depressive disorder, but with longer-lasting symptoms. Previously, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV), which is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a common language and standard criteria, dysthymia was listed as serious state of chronic depression, which persists for at least two years (one year for children and adolescents), not considered as minor form of major depressive disorder, and recognised as  more disabling for some individuals. In the new and actual DSM-5, the term dysthymia is replaced by the term persistent depressive disorder (PDD).

As PDD is a chronic disorder, those with the condition may experience symptoms for many years before it is diagnosed, if diagnosis occurs at all. As a result, they may believe that depression is a part of their character, so they may not even discuss their symptoms with doctors, family members or friends.

A female patient reported a situation many of us may in similar fashion experience: By the time this patient was in her mid-40s, she no longer suffered from clinical depression. And her panic attacks, which had started in childhood, were mostly gone. But instead of feeling happier, she felt wallpapered in an endless, flat sadness. Only her therapist recognised that she suffered, from amild version of persistent depressive disorder (i.e. PDD).

In clinical practice and therapeutic setting,  severe or less severe PDD is often diagnosed when people come to therapy for another issue, like marital problems or job stress, and reveal that they feel an ongoing, low-level sadness, flatness or emotional numbness. There may not appear to be a obvious reason behind it. The individuals re just feel just sort of  “Meh”, and they get used to being that way while in fact they are suffering from PDD.