The Washington Post has an informative article about cyclothymic disorder. This disorder is basically a milder, longer-term form of mild bipolar disorder (bipolar II disorder), and often gets little of the attention slathered in bipolar disorder. Yet it still ends up affecting over 2 million Americans each and every year.
Cyclothymic disorder, as it is sometimes known, is a milder cousin of bipolar disorder. Like bipolar disorder, cyclothymia has high and low phases, though the highs are not as high and the lows not as low. It can be crippling nonetheless. And it is a risk factor for bipolar disease itself, with up to 50 percent of those with cyclothymia eventually developing bipolar disorder. Major depression is also a higher risk.
The hypomanic, or upbeat, phase features symptoms such as elevated mood, increased self-esteem, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, an increase in goal-directed activity and excessive involvement in pleasurable activities.
Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.Like this author?
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 27 Dec 2005
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
Grohol, J. (2005). A Sudden Shift in Moods – Cyclothymic Disorder. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 14, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2005/12/27/a-sudden-shift-in-moods-cyclothymic-disorder/
