Cyclothymia (Cyclothymic Disorder): The Mild Mood Rollercoaster You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Meet the Little Sibling of Full Bipolar I or II Disorder
Let’s get after it! Another manic monday!
Disclaimer: I am not any kind of doctor and make no recommendations. If you suspect that you have a mental condition, see a doctor. I just enjoy research about fascinating things. Most things are, when you think about it.
When I was in my 20s and just into my 30s I was a ceiling mechanic at a time when commercial properties were booming. A ceiling mechanic, or “ceiling man” is a subtype specialty of commercial carpenters in general. We are those fellows walking around on aluminum stilts installing acoustical ceilings. It was not union work, there were no benefits other than mandatory workmans comp, we were responsible for supplying all our tools (hand and power) out of our own pockets, and the pay was lousy. Blue collar work commanded in-the-toilet wages. It was the most satisfying job I’ve ever had.
Why is that? I was so amped up about my work. We all were, in my small crew. In the trade, if a man didn’t average over 1000 square feet of grid a day, he needed to start looking for another job. We killed it every day. When we couldn’t hang grid, we would pick up some hourly metal stud framing, Raco, and drywall. But when we chanced on some piecework on the side and could make all the money we could stand doing the most precise work in town (only the best craftsmen get the plum jobs), well, elation with the dial cranked up to 10.
That feeling is an apt description of the hypomanic symptoms of Cyclothymia, or Cyclothymic Disorder.
What is Cyclothymia, in a Nutshell?
In today’s pop culture, you can’t turn over a stone without seeing or hearing about someone “bipolar” or even, “on the spectrum.” All those notions are watered down and Venn-diagramed together for public consumption. Oddly, cyclothymia is rarely mentioned, even though the sound of the word just rolls off the tongue.
The Mayo Clinic says, “Cyclothymia (sy-kloe-THIE-me-uh), also called cyclothymic disorder, is a rare mood disorder. Cyclothymia causes emotional ups and downs, but they're not as extreme as those in bipolar I or II disorder.”(1)
One of the probable reasons cyclothymic disorder gets so little lip service is its rarity. WebMD puts the range of individuals afflicted to be “from 0.4% to 1% of the U.S. population.”(2)
Statistically equal numbers of men and women have been diagnosed. Symptoms typically begin in adolescence/young adulthood. The onset of cyclothymic disorder is frequently hard to identify.
Symptoms
The range of experience varies between periods when your mood noticeably bumps up (hypomanic) and down (depressive) from your neutral baseline. You’re cruising along feeling on top of the world for a spell, and then elevatoring down to a low period when you feel… It’s subjective by nature but somewhat down/intropective/cynical/jaded. Nothing like the depewaaion reported with polar disorder. Between these ups and downs, you may feel just dandy.
Hypomanic Symptoms May Include
An exaggerated feeling of happiness or well-being (euphoria)
Inflated self-esteem
Racing thoughts
Excessive physical activity
Decreased need for sleep
Inability to concentrate
Extreme optimism
Excessive talking, more than usual
Poor judgment that can result in risky behavior or unwise choices
Irritable or agitated behavior
Increased drive to perform or achieve goals (sexual, work related or social)
Tendency to be easily distracted
Depressive Symptoms May Include
Sleep problems
Thinking of death or suicide
Feeling sad, hopeless or empty
Problems concentrating
Irritability, especially in children and teenagers
Fatigue or feeling slowed down
Loss of interest in activities once considered enjoyable
Restlessness
Feeling solitude not loneliness
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Changes in weight
Tearfulness
What are the Causes of Cyclothymic Disorder
The short answer — nobody knows for certain; the medical community can still work with the day to day symptoms. However, it can be safely be said that people with cyclothymia are more likely to have relatives with bipolar disorder and vice versa. For this reason, the most honest diagnosis you might hear is, “Well, it might be genetic.”
It may have something to do with neurobiology. Some individuals are “wired different.” A diagnosis may lean heavily on environmental factors, notably traumatic experiences or periods of unaccustomed levels of stress. In the soup of reality, it is likely a blend. Who’s been there?
Stephen Fry, the actor, comedian, and writer; he has. He discussed being diagnosed with cyclothymia in his Emmy-winning 2006 documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive and has advocated for mental health awareness.
How about Burgess Meredith (actor, known for roles in Rocky and Batman): Wrote about his experiences with cyclothymia in his autobiography So Far, So Good.
Risk Factors
Cyclothymia is thought to be relatively rare; however, accurate estimates are hard to nail down. Who knows how many people may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed as having other mood disorders such as depression?
According to WebMB, “People with cyclothymic disorder are also more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol. Up to 50% of people with cyclothymia may also have a problem with substance abuse.”(3)
Treatment and Management of Cyclothymic Disorder
Treatment and Management of cyclothemia involves reducing both the frequency and the severity of mood swings, mindfulness training, improvements in daily functioning, averting progression to full bipolar disorder levels, and working on tangent issues such as substance use or relationship instability.
Currently, there are no medications specifically FDA-approved for cyclothymia, so as far as I have been able to condense from my research, approaches are adapted from bipolar disorder management and tailored to each person individually. I am no doctor of anything other than common sense, but that sounds like a prudent approach.
I hope you found this article interesting. With any luck you found it helpful on an uncommon topic — at least I’ve never heard it mentioned in passing. Anyway, subscribe below to see what interests us next. Or before.
Of Further Interest
Haven Short story
Solitude is not Loneliness Podcast
Understanding Clinical Empathy: Better Patient Care and Stronger Doctor-Patient Relationships Article
The Broken Medical System from a Customer’s Point of View Article
Practice Mindfulness Podcast
Footnotes
Mayo Clinic website, Cyclothymia (cyclothymic disorder), https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cyclothymia/symptoms-causes/syc-20371275
Matthew Hoffman, MD, WebMD website, Cyclothymia (Cyclothymic Disorder), https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/cyclothymia-cyclothymic-disorder
Matthew Hoffman, MD, WebMD website, Cyclothymia (Cyclothymic Disorder), https://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/cyclothymia-cyclothymic-disorder