Cyclothymia (patient information)

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Cyclothymia

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

When to seek urgent medical care?

Diagnosis

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for Cyclothymia?

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Cyclothymia On the Web

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Directions to Hospitals Treating Cyclothymia

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Editor-in-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S.,M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, M.B.B.S.

Overview

Cyclothymic disorder is a mild form of bipolar disorder (manic depressive illness) in which a person has mood swings over a period of years that go from mild depression to euphoria and excitement.

What are the symptoms of Cyclothymia?

  • Episodes of hypomania and mild depression occur for at least 2 years (1 or more years in children and adolescents)
  • Symptoms are persistent, with no more than 2 symptom-free months in a row

What causes Cyclothymia?

  • The causes of cyclothymic disorder are unknown.
  • Cyclothymia usually begins early in life. It appears to be equally common in men and women.

When to seek urgent medical care?

  • Call a mental health professional if you or a loved one has persistent alternating periods of depression and excitement that negatively affect work, school, or social life.
  • Seek immediate help if you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide.

Diagnosis

  • Your description of your mood history usually leads to diagnosis of the disorder.
  • Your health care providers may order blood and urine tests to rule out medical causes of mood swings.

Treatment options

  • Some of the more commonly used mood stabilizers are:
  • Lithium: Lithium has been used for years in patients with bipolar disorder, and it may also help patients with cyclothymic disorder.
  • People with cyclothymia may not respond to medications as strongly as patients with bipolar disorder.

Where to find medical care for Cyclothymia?

Directions to Hospitals Treating Cyclothymia

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

  • Less than half of people with cyclothymic disorder will eventually develop bipolar disorder.
  • In other people, cyclothymia will continue as a chronic condition or disappear with time.

Possible complications

The condition can progress to bipolar disorder.

Source

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001550.htm

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