Cyclothymia, also called cyclothymic disorder, is a psychological condition characterized by mood changes in which there are moments of depression or euphoric crises, which can be characterized as a mild form of bipolar disorder.
Cyclothymia usually occurs in adolescence or early adulthood and is often not treated as these mood changes are often considered part of the person's personality. However, cyclothymic disorder should be treated mainly through psychotherapy and, depending on the severity of symptoms, mood stabilizing drugs, for example.
Main symptoms
Symptoms of cyclothymia are usually triggered by existential conflicts, difficulties in adapting and resistance to changes, for example, in addition to also depending on the mood phase in which the person is. Thus, the main symptoms related to this disorder are:
- Periods of agitation and euphoria followed by moodiness and sadness, or vice versa; Accelerated thinking; Indisposition; Lack of sleep or excessive sleep; Greater or lesser energy; Denial that something is wrong; Decreased appetite.
Because this variation of symptoms is most often considered part of the person's personality, the diagnosis of cyclothymia is not made, which can result in great psychological distress for the person, since he experiences great fluctuations in mood.
How is the diagnosis
The diagnosis of cyclothymia must be made by the psychologist or psychiatrist through the assessment of the signs and symptoms presented by the person and which are reported during psychotherapy sessions. During the sessions, in addition to assessing mood swings, the psychologist also checks the severity of these symptoms and the impact they have on the person's life.
Although not often related to major damage to the person's life, cyclothymia can lead to great emotional distress and, in these cases, the use of medications may be necessary to stabilize the person's mood, which should be recommended by the psychiatrist.
In addition, during psychotherapy sessions, the psychologist makes the differential diagnosis between cyclothymia and bipolar disorder, since these are similar conditions, however in bipolar disorder, mood swings lead to more severe symptoms, that is, the person feels the moments of euphoria and the moments of depression more intensely. Here's how to identify bipolar disorder.
How the treatment is done
Cyclothymia can be treated only with psychotherapy sessions in order to control symptoms and prevent new cycles of the disorder. However, in some cases it may also be necessary to use medications, which must be indicated by the psychiatrist and which may include:
- Antipsychotic remedies, such as Zuclopentixol or Aripiprazole; Anxiolytic drugs, such as Alprazolam or Clobazam; Mood stabilizer remedy, such as lithium carbonate.
In addition, it is also recommended that the patient have a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and good sleep habits to reduce stress levels and better control cyclothymic disorder.
