EVENING. Health. HEALTH LINE. Letters.

My depression was bad enough, then I was told I have...

October 04, 1996|By Dr. Allan Bruckheim.

My depression was bad enough, then I was told I have dysthymia and went into another tailspin.

I remember my doctor trying to tell me what this is all about, but I was too upset to understand. Perhaps you might consider offering me the explanation I must have missed.

A. Don't allow strange or difficult words to upset you. They are only intended to help classify a condition, so that the proper help and assistance can be brought to bear on your situation.

Dysthymia (or dysthymic disorder) denotes a depression that has lasted for more than two years and is of mild or moderate intensity, but not usually severe. It happens to many people, perhaps as many as 10 percent to 15 percent of all folks who visit their family doctor, and appears to be most common in women.

Symptoms include low energy and fatigue, feelings of hopelessness and eating problems -- whether eating too much or having a poor appetite. Sleep is often a problem, and that too can go both ways, difficulty in sleeping or just sleeping too much.

The mood can change, and normal feelings can return for up to two months at a time. But then the depression returns, and the bad feelings set in again. Although no one knows what causes this condition, it can be helped with anti-depressant medications.

The medications take awhile to become effective, several weeks to a month or two, but there are other things you can do to help. Just visiting your doctor and talking about your problems was a fine first step.

Now look for activities that bring you pleasure, such as gardening or sports, and get involved. Begin a project you have been wanting to start and gain from the positive feelings that accomplishment will bring. Exercise can help as well. A good brisk walk, in the bright outdoors or in an interesting mall, can lift the spirits and lighten your mood while bringing you all the benefits that regular exercise provides.

Q. The name of an old affliction popped into my head about a week ago, and now I can't rest until I remember what it was. It's called "quinsy" and I can't find it anywhere. While some of my neighbors remember hearing the term many years ago, no one seems to recall what it meant. Do you know, or are you from the younger generation of doctors that no longer uses the term?

A. Not that age is any impediment to researching a question such as yours, but quite frankly I do remember the term. Think back to a very sore throat you may have had as a child, and the memories may come flooding back.

Quinsy refers to an abscess that forms around an infected tonsil and was quite difficult to treat before the advent of antibiotics. The symptoms were a very sore throat, severe pain on swallowing, fever and the tendency to hold the head in a position that tilted away from the side with the pain.

In the old days, the only treatment was to drain the opus away and to relieve the pain, but modern antibiotics can usually conquer the infection and even prevent an infected tonsil (tonsillitis) from progressing to this point. In cases where an abscess gets out of control, the surgical procedure of draining the abscess may still be used.

