Dysthymia is a depressive disorder of chronic nature but of less severity than major depression, in which depressive symptoms are more or less continuous for at least two years. This paper discusses the role of pharmacological treatment for dysthymia. Similar results are found in terms of efficacy for different groups of drugs, such as tricyclic (TCA), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) and other drugs (sulpiride, amineptine, and ritanserin). Patients treated on TCA are more likely to report adverse events, comparing with placebo. In conclusion, pharmacological treatment seems to be effective in the treatment of dysthymia with no differences between and within class of drugs. Although dysthymia is a chronic condition, there remains little information on quality of life and medium or long-term outcome.
Dysthymia; systematic review; meta-analysis; chronic depression; antidepressants
