Dysthymia replaced neurotic depression, opening chemical personality therapy

Evidence

The 1987 dsm-iii-r did away with neurotic depression and replaced it with dysthymic disorders. These patients responded better to ssris than to other antidepressants. Dimensional reasoning as well as syndrome-based thought made reference to neurosis invalid. The dysthymia-ssri pairing opened the door to chemical therapy for personality disorders. What is specific about this type of personality? Not conflict, whose lack of resolution explains its chronic nature – but temperament, character. In other words, a destiny. — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self, 874

Categorization

• XREF: Pays off the move from conflict to deficiency in the schema itself. — connects to: SSRIs affect the personality, crossing from disease to lifestyle — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing…, 868; Depression theory is split between guilt-based and deficiency-based models. — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing…, 171; Depression diagnosis shifted from causes to observable subtypes around 1975 — Alain Ehrenberg, The Weariness of the Self: Diagnosing…, 627 (+2 more)