'Prolonged depression' has also been included in serious psychological problems

Some people often look sad at us which we think is their habit. But now the Association of Psychiatrists (APA) has included chronic depression as a serious psychiatric problem.

It should be noted that this announcement was made by APA in September last year, in which "Prolonged Grief Disorder" was described as a psychological problem and its symptoms were also told.

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The same press release also stated that chronic depressive disorder will be officially included in the fifth edition (DSM-5-TR) of the APA's Manual of Mental Disorders.

With the publication of the fifth edition of this manual yesterday, chronic depression has been classified as a psychiatric disorder.

What is a chronic depressive disorder?

Sorrow, pain, and the grief of being separated from ourselves make us sad. However, this sadness wears off in a few days, weeks, or at most a few months.

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However, sometimes this state of depression continues for 6 to 12 months, or even longer. In such a case it is called 'Prolonged Sadness Disorder' which may have some of the following symptoms:

• Identity disturbance (eg, feeling that part of your being is dead).
• A state of uncertainty about death.
• Trying to avoid the thought that such a person is dead.
• Severe emotional distress related to the death (eg, anger, bitterness, and depression).
• Difficulty maintaining social cohesion (eg, having trouble meeting friends, taking an interest in hobbies, and planning for the future).
• Emotional numbness
• Feeling life is meaningless
• A severe sense of loneliness (feeling completely alone or completely detached from others).

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA): “In chronic depressive disorder, an individual's sense of deprivation exceeds expected social, cultural, or religious norms, and these symptoms cannot be explained by any other mental disorder.”

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In simple terms, this means that every society has certain "acceptable" levels of sadness and depression from a cultural and religious point of view.

In chronic depressive disorder, these conditions exceed these acceptable limits and persist for an unusually long period.

The APA also recommends that psychiatrists, when diagnosing and treating a patient, take into account the specific symptoms described in chronic depressive disorder.