Hypothymia: what is it and characteristics of this emotional symptom?

What is hypothymia? Let's look at the characteristics of this mood symptom.

Feeling sad and down is normal. There are days when we are in a better mood and others when we are not so much, as is to be expected in a person who has euthymia.

However, sometimes we can live in a continuous state of despondency and hopelessness, not serious enough to be considered a full state of mind, but which can be a source of discomfort.

This is called hypothymia, and is a common symptom of mood disorders, although it can also occur on its own.It is a common symptom of mood disorders, although it can also occur on its own. Next we are going to see more in depth what it is and what differences it presents with respect to dysthymia and depression.

What is hypothymia and how does it affect mood?

Hypothymia is an abnormal decrease in affective tone. A person presents this symptom when his emotional response is diminished and inadequate to his real situation, being accompanied by dejection, inexpressive language and slowness of movement.

In addition, a fundamental aspect of hypothymia is that the individual loses interest in what used to give him/her satisfaction, such as hobbies, family circle and family life.such as hobbies, family and friends circle or others.

Hypothymia is not a diagnostic category, but a symptom that is present in many diseases of medical origin and mental disorders. It is considered a positive symptom, that is, the disorder adds to the person's life.. It is not a specific symptom, and can occur in many mental disorders and diseases, such as a brain tumor or pictures related to craniocerebral lesions. It is considered one of the main symptoms of depression.

It differs from euthymic, i.e., normal, sadness for several reasons. The first is that the person not only feels sad, but is also incapable of feeling happiness, even if he or she has experienced an event that, in principle, should be a source of joy.even if he or she has experienced an event that, in principle, should be a source of joy. For example, a person suffers from hypothymia if, upon learning that he has had good grades, is a father or has won the lottery, he does not show any joy.

When hypothymia occurs a wide repertoire of mild feelings can occur, such as abhorrence and pessimistic ideas, or go to deeper thoughts.or go to deeper thoughts of vital concern, discomfort and shyness. Catastrophic feelings, hopelessness and sense of failure may occur.

Based on its definition, hypothymia may be thought to be related to dysthymia and depression, and indeed it is. However, it differs from these two mood disorders in several ways, which we will discuss below.

Differences between hypothymia and dysthymia

There are several differences between hypothymia and dysthymia. To begin with, hypothymia is a symptom, not a nosological category or disorder, whereas dysthymia is.whereas dysthymia is. Dysthymia is a mood disorder, characterized by sad mood, melancholy, gloominess, gloominess and other symptoms of low mood, but it does not meet the diagnostic criteria for depression. It could be considered as a kind of mild depression.

In order to diagnose dysthymia, it is necessary that the state of despondency from which the patient suffers has been maintained for at least two years. This despondency, at first, could be considered as hypothymia, as long as this period of time is not exceeded and the degree of severity does not increase.

However, another of the main differences between dysthymia and hypothymia is in their temporality.. Hypothymia, as we have mentioned, is a symptom, a state related to despondency that is of relatively short duration. On the other hand, dysthymia has more to do with a trait or a state prolonged in time, referring more to the fact that the person, in general and in various contexts of his life, is in a low mood.

Difference between depression and hypothymia

In the same way that hypothymia can be related to dysthymia, and even confused without taking into account the differences already explained, this symptom can be related to depression. In fact, as we have already said, it is one of the main symptoms of depression.

Among the differences between depression and hypothymia is in its intensity.. In depression, as a mood disorder, the symptoms of apathy, despondency, loss of interest and coldness are very intense and generalized to most of the situations experienced by the patient. Hypothymia, on the other hand, although present at all times in the patient's life, is much less intense, more characterized by the absence of happiness than by deep sadness.

The other difference is the duration. Hypothymia is relatively temporary, with a shorter and more variable duration than depression, ranging from a few days to, at most, months. Depression, on the other hand, is usually a disorder of long duration.

While a diagnosis requires that several of its diagnostic criteria have been met for a period of more than two weeks, it is often the case that the person has actually been depressed for a longer period, at least six months.

How hypothymia is intervened

Although hypothymia is not a disorder, nor is it as serious as dysthymia and depression, it is necessary that the person suffering from hypothymia receives adequate professional help..

This is important because, if not properly treated, feelings of unhappiness and despondency can evolve, over time, into a dysthymic disorder or even depression.

The first thing to do is to consult a specialist psychologist in order to confirm the diagnosis. Generally, hypothymia is usually exogenousthat is to say, caused by a condition external to the person, such as a work or relational problem, some kind of worry... Thus, it will be possible, with professional help and the support of family and friends, to address the source of distress, as well as to provide the patient with tools for its resolution.

Within the therapy it is essential to ensure that the person continues with his or her daily activities and does not lose social contact, since isolation can worsen his or her mood. and that he/she does not lose social contact, since isolation can worsen the patient's mood.

If possible, it is advisable for the patient to do some weekly exercise, since it is known that sport helps to elevate the mood and, assuming that hypothymia is not a severely sad mood, it is possible to recover normal levels quickly. However, no matter how much sport he/she does, psychotherapy should not be abandoned to direct the process of improvement.

The patient should also be encouraged to engage in pleasurable activities, which will help him to disconnect from his worries and obligations, as well as to relativize his problems. These activities can be of any kind, such as reading, playing video games, painting, dancing or any hobby he likes, regardless of how "productive" his environment or even himself perceives it to be. The important thing is that he does things that he likes, that make him feel better.

Throughout the psychotherapy it is essential to follow up to make sure how the hypothymia is progressing. This is very important given that, as we have already mentioned, if we do not intervene adequately on the hypothymia, the patient will feel better, if not adequately addressed, this symptom can evolve into depression or dysthymia, which is clearly something we want to avoid in psychotherapy., something that we clearly want to avoid in the patient.

Bibliographical references:

• American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
• Horse (2002). Manual for cognitive-behavioral treatment of psychological disorders. Vol. 1 and 2. Madrid. 21st Century (Chapters 1-8, 16-18).