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Duration of periods of euthymia in patients with dysthymic disorder
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Anxiety and Depression, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. ddunner@u.washington.edu
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to assess the duration of periods of euthymia in patients with dysthymia.
Method:
All patients with dysthymia who came to the Center for Anxiety and Depression over a 10-month period (N = 22) were interviewed by the author regarding the duration of their euthymic episodes.
Results:
The 22 patients with dysthymia reported euthymic periods from 2 to 30 days (mean = 8.0 days, SD = 6.6).
Conclusions:
The euthymic period of up to 2 months that is specified in DSM-IV for dysthymic disorder might confound the results of clinical trials. Data from additional groups of dysthymic patients would be useful when considering this issue for DSM-V.