Dr. Babu

Cyclothymia is a type of a mood disorder which is relatively light or mild in nature. If you are suffering from this condition, then you will experience extreme mood swings for very short periods of time. During these mood swings, you may experience a low period (depressed mood) or a high period when you are extremely happy.

Identification
There is no set or structured pattern for the highs and lows that you will experience during this condition. This feature of the disease makes it more difficult to detect and diagnose. The duration of your mood swings usually last just for a few days but can also be extended up to a few weeks. So, the only sign of identifying this medical condition is that if you are not having a normal mood for an extended period of time then you should consult a specialist doctor to enquire more about the condition.

Symptoms
Though there are no special symptoms of this disorder, the usual signs of mild depression and hypomania can be a possible symptom of Cyclothymia.

Some of them are:

1. Hypomanic symptoms
2. Racing thoughts
3. Minimal sleep
4. Excessive talking
5. Extreme optimism
6. Raised self-esteem
7. Being happy without any reason

Depressive symptoms

1. Hopelessness
2. Unnecessary fear
3. Restlessness
4. Fatigue
5. Concentration difficulties
6. Abnormal weight changes

Remedy
The mood swings that you experience during this situation do not get better with time or vanish automatically. So it is always desirable that you seek some medical assistance from a specialist doctor on seeing the symptoms of either hypomania or depression.

Complications
This does not always hold true but you might also start to experience suicidal thoughts if you also have a bipolar I or II disorder along with cyclothymia. So, if any such thoughts appear in your mind, then you should seek immediate medical assistance.