Cyclothymic Disorder

Because teenagers have the reputation of wide mood swings, it makes cyclothymia a difficult diagnosis, and one that may be labeled as "just being a normal teenager." But cyclothymia has specific characteristics that keep it from being Bipolar Disorder. Cyclothymia is characterized by at least two years of sub-maniacal mood swings into a depression that is just short of being severe clinical depression.

Cyclothymia can cause the patient to become reliant on substances that lead to drug and alcohol abuse. It may be the underlying cause of eating disorders. And it sometimes progresses into Bipolar Disorder. To reiterate, it is not a chemical imbalance as severe as in Bipolar, but it does manifest as mood swings.

There are no known causes for cyclothymia, but it seems to have a genetic connection, as it runs in families. Treatment is with mood stabilizers, not mood elevators. The mood elevators or antidepressants tend to trigger bouts of mania. The treatment is similar to that of Bipolar Disorder. One of the reasons it's a difficult disease to diagnose is that it seems so normal and many who have been diagnosed resist treatment because it would eliminate their "up" moods as well as their "down" moods. Many people first receive treatment when their symptoms become severe. At that time, they no longer have Cyclothymia, but Bipolar Disorder.

Cyclothymia turn a person's life upside down. Because of the mood swings, they find it difficult to establish friendships or romantic relationships. Instead of love, they tend to have short-lived passionate relationships. They often become substance abusers or alcoholics, behave in self-destructive ways and are at a high risk for suicide. Mood stabilizers can help reduce this risk.