My psychiatrist recently diagnosed me with having dysthymia. It means that I have chronic depression and will have to learn to live with it. It can be mild at times but at other times severely crippling. He has been trying several medications and most have helped in a small way, while others have had negative side effects. I realize that I cannot depend on the medication to help me through life and that I have to try to find a way to enjoy life despite of this setback. Recognizing the situation and knowing what I have to do is the easy part. Physically trying to deal with it is the hard part. I already described my situation on the Fear of Dying thread. Is there anyone out there who also suffers from this? How do you cope?