dysthymia

dysthymia A type of depressive disorder that involves long-term, chronic symptoms that are not disabling but that nonetheless keep a person from full function or from feeling good. Dysthymia is a less severe type of depression than major depression. However, people with dysthymia may also sometimes experience major depressive episodes, suggesting that there is a continuum between dysthymia and major depression. See also depression; depression, major.