Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:1534-1542
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
A critical discussion of DSM-III dysthymic disorder
JH Kocsis and AJ Frances
Department of Psychiatry, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, NY 10021.
The authors review the history of the concept of dysthymia and the
literature on the epidemiology, course, and treatment of chronic
depression. They present a critical discussion of DSM-III and DSM-III-R
criteria for dysthymic disorder. On the basis of this review, they suggest
that future revisions of the nomenclature include further subcategorization
of chronic depressive disorders and that the term "dysthymic disorder" be
reserved for chronic depressive disorders with an insidious onset at an
early age. The relationships between dysthymic disorders and personality
disorders and the response of subcategories of chronic depression to
different treatment modalities need to be researched.
