- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
David Mrazek, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
David Mrazek, M.D.
David Mrazek, M.D.
Dr. David A. Mrazek is chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and a professor of psychiatry at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. Dr. Mrazek has developed a federally funded psychiatric pharmacogenomics research program and implemented clinical psychiatric pharmacogenomics services at Mayo Clinic.
He has received numerous awards including the Award for Creativity in Psychiatric Education from the American College of Psychiatrists and the Agnes Purcell McGavin Award for Distinguished Career Achievement in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. He currently serves as chairman of the board of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Dr. Mrazek has focused his current efforts on using pharmacogenomics testing to improve clinical care. One of his specific goals is to decrease the risks of taking psychiatric medications.
Latest entries
- Complexity of depression diagnosis makes treatment difficult
March 8, 2012
- Depression sometimes shifts to bipolar disorder
Jan. 21, 2012
- Antidepressant use soaring among Americans 12 and over
Dec. 7, 2011
- Transcranial magnetic stimulation offers hope treating depression
Oct. 19, 2011
- New antidepressant offers hope
Sept. 3, 2011
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Depression blog
-
Jan. 10, 2009
Dysthymia treatment can help reduce depression symptoms
By David Mrazek, M.D.
| Need more help? |
|
Dysthymia is a chronic form of depression that lasts at least two years. Dysthymia symptoms can include depressed mood, appetite changes, sleep problems, concentration difficulties, poor energy, and feelings of worthlessness, pessimism or irritability. The symptoms are not as intense as severe depression symptoms. Still, dysthymia can cause significant problems in one's life.
People struggling with dysthymia are at risk for developing major depression, substance abuse problems and heart disease. Dysthymia tends to develop prior to the age of 20. Women having double the risk men do. Because it starts early on, you may have gotten used to your symptoms and just assumed you had to put up with them.
But don't get discouraged. We are fortunate to have good treatments, including medication, for many forms of depression, including dysthymia. A recent Dartmouth College study that looked at problem solving therapy and the use of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such a Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa or Lexapro showed good results.
When you get depressed, your thoughts can be distorted. The longer you've suffered from depression, the more ingrained your thought patterns are. Talk therapy can help to reverse these negative thinking patterns. As always, see your health care provider for accurate diagnosis and, if necessary, medical work up. And, if you've had any experience with dysthymia, please share your story.
52 comments posted
January 13, 2009 5:02 p.m.
I also was diagnosed with Dysthymia. CBT and Zoloft worked for a long time and I'm now off the medication and managing fine. I know that it can come back though, so I keep an eye on myself. Take care.
- rb
January 13, 2009 2:42 p.m.
Unknown to me until about 10 yrs ago, i suffered frpm dysthymia. I can never remember feeling happy, even as a child. I got of the point of struggling to get up and go to work, then retreating to bed as soon as I got home from work. I felt emppty and had such fatigue and lack of interest in life. I sought help from my primary care Dr and after 2-3 years needed to see a phsyciatrist for the knowledge she would have on chemicals and the brain. I took effexor for a couple years and then added welbutrin, which made a huge difference in my lethargy and feelings. I have been on this combination for 10 years and am to the point where I have been able to reduce the dosage, still feel good and have no problem functioning. I do have some issue with my irritation/anger level at times but am working on that conciously to keep my self in perspective.
- Lynn E
Share on:
52 comments posted