Dysthymia is the clinical term for persistent mild depression. In a nutshell, dysthymia is the rough equivalent of a chronic bad mood, with the important distinction that it never goes away. To be dysthmic is not simply to be prone to bouts of gloominess. On the contrary, it is to live one’s life forever under a cloud, plagued by a subtle and nameless sense of malaise that can’t ever be escaped. Under those circumstances, it’s perhaps no surprise that many victims of dysthymia resort to substance abuse as a means of self-medication…and that all substance abuse treatment programs must address the disease if they’re to achieve success.

Dysthymia is in some ways more dangerous than clinical depression, insofar as it is harder to detect and thus more likely to be overlooked in the depression treatment and addiction treatment processes. Again, though, dysthmic addicts cannot get sober without proper psychological care. The rehabilitation center that’s right for you is the one with an advanced dual diagnosis program, and an explicit emphasis on holistic healing. In the end, nothing less could ever be good enough.