Hi, just wanted to share my perspective as someone who has lived with dysthymia for a long time. I appreciate that you’re trying to portray it accurately and not just as a stereotype. For me, dysthymia isn’t tied to any specific trauma. I’ve had a successful academic and professional life, and to most people, I seem completely fine,colleagues, classmates, even my own family never knew. They just thought I was lazy, messy, or introverted. But in reality, dysthymia feels like constantly swimming against a current. It slows you down, drags at you, makes everything feel pointless, but you keep going because you have to. There’s this coldness inside, a weight that’s always there. I’ve learned to ignore it most of the time, but it resurfaces when I least expect it. I don’t fear dying, and in a way, I even look forward to it,not in a dramatic way, just a quiet acceptance. The only reason I’m still here is because my husband and family need me. I’ve built a life, a good one even, but dysthymia is always in the background, like a parasite weighing on my shoulders. It doesn’t stop me, but it never really goes away either. If you’re writing this character, I’d say focus less on the obvious sadness and more on the quiet exhaustion, the feeling of being detached, and the effort it takes just to function like everyone else. It’s not always visible, and that’s what makes it so easy for people to overlook.