Persistent Depressive Disorder

Persistent depressive disorder is a newly coined term in the DSM-5 to capture what was originally known as dysthymia and chronic major depression. This disorder has been poorly understood, and its classification has evolved due to the complicated and ever-evolving nature of the nosology of depressive disorders. In the past, this disease was considered a depressed personality state, but it is likely better conceptualized as a disease state rather than a personality disorder (permanent, pervasive way of approaching the world). This change is reflected in the history of the diagnosis as the DSM-II originally identified it as a personality disorder. It was not until the DSM-III that dysthymic disorder was defined as a mild chronic depression lasting longer than 2 years. The origin of the word dysthymia dates back to its Greek roots, with the first use of the word referring to psychiatry occurring by CF Fleming around 1844.