 Do you feel like you're in a low mood all day, all the time? Do you remember the last time you felt generally energized and happy for a long period of time? When most of us think of depression, we often think of major depressive disorder, where depression symptoms occur in episodes ranging from weeks to months. However, did you know that depression can persist for longer periods of time, where symptoms last over the course of two or more years without any relief at all? Chronic depression is also known as persistent depressive disorder, or PDD, and is defined by a continuous depressed mood that occurs for at least two years. In today's video, we will address the signs and symptoms of chronic depression. There has been a huge decline in mental health around the world, which is why we're so committed to creating more content than we ever have. Thanks so much for being a part of our journey. Number one, you are said to have a depressive personality. Do you think that you have a generally depressive, pessimistic personality? Do you or even your close friends or family say that you have a generally depressed mood? Those with persistent depressive disorder can be described as having a depressive personality. If you have PDD, you may experience depression symptoms over the course of many years that start to feel like the norm for you. Remember that your exhibition of depressive symptoms are not your fault at all, and that you have little control over your personality when enduring PDD. Number two, you have little relief from depressive symptoms. Do you feel like your depressive symptoms are persistent and that you rarely experience relief from them? While those with major depressive disorder may feel normal for long periods of time between depressive episodes, those with PDD almost always experience an underlying feeling of depression, regardless of when they endure depressive episodes. It may be represented as a dark cloud that just won't go away, regardless of how bright or sunny your life may seem. If you never feel complete relief from your symptoms in between depressive episodes for multiple years, you may also have persistent depressive disorder. Number three, you can't recall when you first became depressed. Do you experience depression symptoms and have trouble recalling when you first became depressed? Because the symptoms of PDD are often less severe than those of MDD, and usually occur for a period greater than two years, those with PDD often struggle to recall when their depression even began. Your depressive symptoms may feel embedded as a part of your life due to the chronic mild to moderate depression severity of the disorder. As a result, there may not be an obvious shift from a normal to depressed state in your life. The state of depression itself may feel like the norm to you. Number four, every day feels like a bad day. Do you feel like you know the day is going to suck as soon as you wake up? You may be living in a depressed mood, hopeless that your life will ever get any better. One of the most defining symptoms of PDD is a low, sad mood on most days and a persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest in hobbies or daily activities. Those of PDD have little to no relief from their symptoms and often experience a lingering sense of depression that almost never allows the day to feel enjoyable. And number five, you feel fatigued and unproductive. Over the course of multiple years, have you been feeling like you consistently have little energy throughout the day? You might even feel unproductive and blame yourself for being lazy. Carrying out tasks you need to do such as brushing your teeth, getting out of bed or going grocery shopping may seem insurmountable. Mustering the energy to overcome these tasks can feel impossible. Though suffering from PDD may experience these symptoms over the course of multiple years and subsequently feel critical of themselves for being unable to deal with various tasks. In addition, fatigue from depressive disorders may stem from irregular sleep patterns, including insomnia and hypersomnia. If you've been experiencing these symptoms for two years or more years on a daily basis, you may have PDD. Can you relate to the signs listed above? Oftentimes, PDD goes undetected by mental health care professionals due to its milder, persisting nature, which may cause the individual to feel that the symptoms are simply a normal part of their life, even if depressive symptoms of PDD generally range from mild to moderate per official criteria. It's still an issue that needs to be addressed. If you think that you may have PDD, regardless of the severity of the depression, we encourage you to seek advice from a mental health professional. Believe it or not, it can get better. If you found this video helpful, please like and share it with friends that might find insight in it too. Remember to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more content. All the sources used are added in the description box below. Thanks so much for watching. Until next time.