We also provide a list of previous news releases . Dysthymia is a chronic form of depression lasting at least 2 years.
Minor depression occurs in episodes with fewer symptoms and less impairment than major depression.
John J. Williams, Jr, MD, MHS, of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and colleagues, conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial to compare treatments for minor depression and dysthymia among older patients in primary care settings. The trial took place from November 1995 to August 1998 at 4 geographically and clinically diverse primary care practices. According to background information cited in the study, antidepressants and depression-specific psychotherapies are clearly effective for major depression. However, the effectiveness of treatments for less severe depressive disorders, particularly in older primary care patients with coexisting medical illnesses, is less certain. This gap is particularly problematic because the prevalence of less severe depressive disorders exceeds that of major depression, leaving primary care clinicians without evidence-based treatment recommendations for most of their depressed patients.