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
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffSometimes, a health care provider or other professional may ask you about your mood. Your doctor may bring it up during a routine medical appointment if you seem to be sad or down, for instance. Or you may decide to schedule an appointment with your family doctor or general practitioner to talk about your concerns. In either case, because dysthymia often requires specialized mental health care, you may be referred to a mental health provider, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, for evaluation and treatment. Or, you may seek out a mental health provider on your own first.
What you can do
Being an active participant in your care can help your efforts to recover from dysthymia. One way to do this is by preparing for your appointment. Think about your needs and goals for treatment. Also, write down a list of questions to ask. These may include:
- Why can't I get over dysthymia on my own?
- How do you treat dysthymia?
- Will psychotherapy help?
- Are there medications that might help?
- How long will I need to take medication?
- What are some of the side effects of the medication you're recommending?
- How often will we meet?
- How long will treatment take?
- What can I do to help myself?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me?
- What websites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask, don't hesitate to ask questions that you think of during your appointment.
What to expect from your doctor
During your appointment, your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions about your mood, thoughts and behavior. Your doctor may ask such questions as:
- When did you first notice symptoms?
- How is your daily life affected by your symptoms?
- What other treatment have you had?
- What have you tried on your own to feel better?
- What things make you feel worse?
- Have any relatives had dysthymia, depression or another mental illness?
- What do you hope to gain from treatment?
- Dysthymic disorder. In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. http://www.psychiatryonline.com/content.aspx?aID=2375. Accessed May 12, 2010.
- Loosen PT, et al. Mood disorders. In: Ebert MH, et al. Current Diagnosis and Treatment: Psychiatry. 2nd ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3285019. Accessed May 12, 2010.
- Depressive disorders. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec15/ch200/ch200b.html. Accessed May 12, 2010.
- Sansone RA, et al. Dysthymic disorder: Forlorn and overlooked? Psychiatry. 2009;6:46.
- Klein DN, et al. Ten-year prospective follow-up study of the naturalistic course of dysthymic disorder and double depression. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2006;163:872.
- Cuijpers P, et al. Psychotherapy for chronic major depression and dysthymia: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review. 2010;30:51.
- Imel ZE, et al. A meta-analysis of psychotherapy and medication in unipolar depression and dysthymia. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2008;110:197.
- Mood disorders. In: Stern TA, et al. Massachusetts General Hospital Comprehensive Clinical Psychiatry. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/201023955-5/997725771/1657/636.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04743-2..50071-8--cesec37_1902. Accessed May 13, 2010.
- Mead GE, et al. Exercise for depression (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2009:CD004366.
- Natural medicines in the clinical management of depression. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed May 13, 2010.
- Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Dietary fatty acids. American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org/WorkArea//DownloadAsset.aspx?id=8452. Accessed May 13, 2010.
- Smith CA. Acupuncture for depression (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2010:CD004046.
- Gray CM, et al. Complementary and alternative medicine use among health plan members. Effective Clinical Practice. 2002;5:17.
- Subodh BN. Psychosocial impact of dysthymia: A study among married patients. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2008;109:199.
Find Mayo Clinic on