Depressive Personality Disorder: Catch It Early

Depression in its early stages, like any other disease, is easier to treat. Unfortunately, depression is rather difficult to diagnose. More often than not, it can be recognized only when symptoms have become distinctly obvious – and the condition has become rather serious.

A person’s slide into depression is generally not abrupt. It usually starts from simple feelings of sadness until it leads to a serious impairment of the ability to function. However, not all people develop depression. Normally, we are equipped with coping mechanisms to help us adjust to the stresses of everyday life. People who develop depression or any other psychiatric disorder for that matter usually have faulty coping mechanisms. Because of this and certain chemical imbalances and inadequacies in the brain, a person is not able to cope with stresses and the person, in a manner of speaking, “shuts down.”

What is Depressive Personality Disorder?

A person’s personality is composed of consistent patterns of behaviors, feelings and thoughts. The personality of an individuals develops as they grow into maturity. People with personality disorders experience constant moodiness and grumpiness. This becomes a serious obstacle to accomplishing their daily tasks and they soon become isolated from other people.

A person with depressive personality disorder is generally unhappy. He has poor self-esteem and he also feels inadequate. He is always very critical about himself and also tends to be judgmental of others. He is always worrying about anything and everything, and he generally has a very pessimistic outlook in life.

Causes and Diagnosis of Depressive Personality Disorder

Like other psychiatric conditions, Depressive Personality Disorder (DPD) has no single cause. It is brought about by a mixture of several factors including heredity, the environment, life experiences, and inherent traits. DPD is noted in the 4th edition of the official handbook of recognized psychiatric conditions (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM). Nevertheless DPD symptoms remain unclear and diagnostic procedures for this are far from what anyone could call “established.”

Although much study has been done on personality disorders, more research is needed on Depressive Personality Disorder. Many doctors fear that being diagnosed with DPD can cause unnecessary difficulties for the patient – for instance, he may suffer from the stigma that is associated with personality disorders in general.

It is also rather difficult to classify a person’s personality. A person’s personality is multifaceted and no one can say for certain that a person who acts in a particular way has DPD or that a person who seems to behave normally does not have DPD.

Doctors also argue that a DPD diagnosis may actually be unnecessary. A type of depression called Dysthymia is often closely linked with DPD. Dysthymia is a chronic depressive disorder where the patient does not experience major depressive episodes. Some psychiatrists believe that DPD is, in fact, just a subtype of Dysthymia. Some, however, are firm in their belief that DPD is a unique personality disorder and not a mere subclass of Dysthymia.

Although the matter of DPD symptoms and diagnostic procedures is far from settled and remains controversial even now, treatment options for the various depression disorders are usually similar. Certain treatments are actually applicable to most major types of depression disorders. Even if the specific type of depression disorder is unclear, a doctor may start treating the patient using general treatment modalities.

In the current diagnostic criteria for Depressive Personality Disorder, at least five of the following conditions must be present before someone can be diagnosed with DPD:

Gloomy, cheerless, and/or dejected
Feeling of inadequacy and low self esteem
Self-criticism and self-blame; prone to brooding and constant worrying
Being negativistic, critical and judgmental of others
Being pessimistic
Prone to feelings of guilt and remorse

As mentioned earlier, DPD diagnosis deserved more than a notation in the appendix of the DSM handbook. This indicates that DPD as a personality disorder is not fully accepted or recognized by the DSM Committee. Nevertheless, the fact that it has been mentioned at all is actually an encouraging sign. This can awaken interest in and induce further study and research on the subject of DPD.

Recognize the Signs of Depression

When does simple sadness become serious depression? How do you know when everything is perfectly normal and when you need to seek professional help? Early recognition of the signs of depression is one of the best ways of preventing serious depression.

If you feel gloomy, cheerless and miserable but only for a certain period of time – usually a short one – you can be pretty sure that what you’re feeling is just plain sadness and nothing more serious. It may be depression if you constantly and chronically feel gloomy, cheerless and miserable.

Though there are distinct differences among the various types of depression, there are common signs that raise a warning. Presence of these signs and symptoms indicate the impending onset or development of depression. The more of these signs are present in an individual, the greater the possibility that he is in an already advanced state of depression. The following are some of the common signs of depression:

Sleeping pattern abnormality or disruption (presence of disturbing dreams or bouts of insomnia and hypersomnia)
State of constant worry, irritability and anxiety
Disruption in the performance of the activities of daily living (unable to go to work or school, unable to eat or unable to take care of personal hygiene)
Disinterest in activities that were previously pleasurable
State of agitation (or being easily agitated)
Constant moodiness

What have been enumerated above are just a few of the signs and symptoms of depression. These symptoms, when spotted early, can be managed easily. If you notice the prolonged occurrence of any of the above symptoms, you can take on activities that can make you feel better. Regular exercise, proper nutrition and other physical activities are crucial. Some studies show that engaging in simple activities can improve one’s mood significantly.

Treatments for Depressive Personality Disorder

The fact is that depressive patients usually refuse to cooperate. This makes assessment and initiation of treatment more challenging to health care practitioners. Since there are no certain and established diagnostic criteria for depressive personality disorder, choosing the right treatment option is even more difficult than usual.

Antidepressants are mainstays in depression treatment programs. These pills help correct chemical imbalances in the brain, thereby alleviating the symptoms of depression. However, antidepressants in themselves cannot cure depression, and their effect is never immediate.

Aside from medication, one of the most common treatments for depression is the DBT or the Dialectal Behavioral Therapy, personality psychotherapy and group therapy. Like depression medication (antidepressants), these therapies do not bring about immediate results. Changes can be seen only after around several months or more.

Usually, medication and therapy are used together in curing depression. The medication alleviates the symptoms and the physical condition that accompanies depression, but the psychotherapy sessions can instill in the patient practical coping mechanisms that can prevent a recurring condition.