Author(s):
Because dysthymia is a chronic disorder, people who have it may not be diagnosed for years, if they are ever diagnosed at all. As a result, they may not even discuss their symptoms with doctors, family members, or friends because they may believe that depression is a part of who they are. Persistent depressive disorder, which includes both chronic major depressive disorder and the previous dysthymic disorder, takes the place of dysthymia in the DSM-5. This change was made because there was no evidence that these two conditions were significantly different.
