Dysthymia is a chronic, low-grade depression which affects about three percent of the general population.
Dysthymia is slightly more prevalent among women than men.
Symptoms of dysthymia include having a depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, for at least two years. Some people may have or have had several episodes of dysthymia during their lifetime, while others have chronic depression almost all the time. Some people develop dysthymia first, and then at a later date develop a more severe major depression. Even though these people may have been chronically depressed for many years, they are still very likely to respond to treatment. For others, the chronic depression follows an episode of major depression.