Cyclothymic Disorder Cyclothymic disorder, also known as cyclothymia, is a relatively mild form of bipolar II disorder characterized by mood swings that may appear to be almost within the normal range of emotions. These mood swings range from mild depression, or dysthymia, to mania of low intensity, or hypomania. It is possible for cyclothymia to go undiagnosed, and for individuals with the disorder to be unaware that they have a treatable disease. Individuals with cyclothymia may experience episodes of low-level depression, known as dysthymia; periods of intense energy, creativity, and/or irritability, known as hypomania; or they may alternate between both mood states. Like other bipolar disorders, cyclothymia is a chronic illness characterized by mood swings that can occur as often as every day and last for several days, weeks, months, or as long as two years. Individuals with this disorder are never free of symptoms of either hypomania or mild depression for more than two months at a time (Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders). The German psychiatrist Ewald Hecker introduced the concept of cyclothymia in 1877, but its definition has evolved from a mild problem with mood to its current status, in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), as a mood disorder alongside bipolar disorder and major depression. Cyclothymic disorder also appears in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), published by the World Health Organization. Those who have this disorder usually fail to recognize it as well as doctors who treat them due to the fine line between pathological and normal mood swings (Colino, 2005). Cyclothymic Disorder often begins early in life and is sometimes considered to reflect a temper... ... middle of paper ... ...rences Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders: Br-Del. http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Cyclothymic-disorder.html. Retrieved April 10, 2006. Bipolar Disorder Today. Cyclothmic Disorder. DSM IV Criteria. http://www.mental-health-today.com/bp/cyclo.htm Retrieved April 10, 2006. Colino, S. A Sudden Shift in Moods. With Cyclothymia, a Milder Form Of Bipolar Disorder, Life's Little Ups and Downs Can Loom Large. Washington Post, December 20, 2005. http://www.biopsychiatry.com/misc/cyclothymia.html. Retrieved April 8, 2006. Cyclothymic Disorder. http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual/section15/chapter189/189e.jsp. Retrieved April 8, 2006. Cyclothmic Disorder. http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Cyclothymic-disorder.html. Retrieved April 9, 2006. Cyclothmic Disorder Treatment. http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx38t.htm. Retrieved April 10, 2006.
Bipolar Disorder (Formerly known as Manic Depression) is a mental illness linked to alterations in moods such as mood swings, mania, and depression. There is more than one type, Bipolar I and Bipolar II, and the subcategories are divided by the severity of the symptoms seen, such as cyclothymic disorder, seasonal mood changes, rapid cycling disorder and psychosis. Age of onset usually occurs between 15-30 years old with an average onset of 25 years old but it can affect all ages. (Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital , 2013) Bipolar disorder affects more than two million people in the United States every year. (Gardner, 2011)
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Cyclothymia is a chronic mood disorder that is more mild in nature than bipolar disorder. To be more specific, while bipolar disorder is characterized by manic moods alternating with major depressive moods, cyclothymia is characterized by mood swings that are mildly manic and mildly depressive. The manic moods of cyclothymia often feature very high self-confidence and seemingly limitless energy; the depressive moods often result in sufferers feeling sad, unworthy, unequal, and worn out.
Hypnomania is one side of bipolar II; it can bring a happy euphoric feeling, rapid speech, inflated self-esteem, and risk taking behavior. This is the more pleasant side of the disorder to be around. Many people could be drawn in by this carefree demeanor but there is another side of hypnomania that could make it next to impossible to be around. This side comes with feeling agitated, aggressive behavior, being easily distracted, and having poor judgment. While most patients will see the first symptoms of the disorder by the age twenty there are a few that will experience an early onset symptoms in adolescence. This mainly consist of explosive anger, aggression, reckless behavior and rapid mood changes. These mood changes can happen quickly laughing and happy one second and crying or anger the next and back to happy. They do not experience clear cut hypnomania or depression at this age.
The DSM-V plays a huge role in the classification and treatment of somatoform disorders. It was not until this model that somatoform was not just one category, but had multiple sub-categories under it. With all of this being said, the DSM-V has gotten multiple hits of hard criticism that the new edition has a lack of scientific evidence for specific classifications, and unclear boundaries between every day stressors, and a classified “illness.” However, with constant progress, new information, new disorders and treatments, the DSM, no matter what version, will always take criticism for one thing or another (McCarron, 2013).
Bipolar disorder, also referred to as manic depression, is a mood disorder. A person with bipolar disorder will have extreme mood shifts between mania, a state of highly elevated euphoric feelings, and depression, a state of despondency and despair. These shifts can take weeks, days, or even minutes to happen. The period between shifts will vary for each individual, depending on the severity of the disorder (Williams & Wilkins, 1999, pp. 5-35).
Manic Depression is also referred to as Bipolar Disorder and Severe Mood Swings. It is the severe alternate from unexplainable depressed feelings, thoughts, and actions to elevated personal feeling of euphoria. This disorder often causes dysfunction with family members, personal relationships, work, and legal system (Mallozzi). This causes sever fluctuation in mood or poles, from depression to mania. Half of all the cases of this disorder start when patients are between the ages of 15 and 25. Manic Depression affects 2.4% of the world (Nordqvist).
Bipolar disorder is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out activities of daily living (NIMH, 2009). People with bipolar disorder usually experience “mood episodes” (NIMH, 2009). An overly joyful or overexcited state is called a manic episode (NIMH, 2009). A manic episode is a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood and abnormally and persistently increased goal-directed activity or energy, lasting at least 1 week, and present most of the day, nearly every day (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Some symptoms that are present during a manic episode are increased self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, more talkative than usual, flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing, distractibility, increase in goal-directed activity and excessive involvement in activities that have a high potential for painful consequences (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
Bipolar Disorder is a serious and complicated mood disorder characterized by abnormal fluctuations between an individual’s high and low moods. Mania, Depression, Hypomania and Mixed Episodes are the predominant moods that can be identified in the different forms of Bipolar Disorder (GlaxoSmithKlein, 2007). The etiology, symptomology, and treatment for each mood and form of Bipolar Disorder vary as well. Moods can be identified by a person’s level of happiness, sadness, outlook on life and how he may physically feel (Mondimore, 2006). Patients struggling with Bipolar Disorder have difficulty regulating the euphoric highs of mania, the “black hole” feelings of depression, the “softer side” of hypomania and the incessant cycling of Mixed Episodes. With so many different forms of this mood disorder, Bipolar Disorder can be difficult to recognize and treat.
It was during the Greek and Roman era where we first saw the conception of madness move away from gods and sprits to the adoption of a more rational approach (Conrad and Schneider, 1992). Views on abnormal behaviour were significantly advanced by Hippocrates (460-377 BC). Hippocrates viewed abnormal behaviour as having internal causes thus having biological natures or etiologies. Hippocrates prescriptions for treating the ill included, rest, proper diet, sobriety and exercise – methods still suggested today (Getzfeld, 2006). Hippocrates promoted a pre-existing idea that madness related to varying quantities of bodily fluids present in the body. These fluids were called humours and there were thought to be four different types with an imbalance of each triggering a particular type of madness (Conrad and Schneider, 1992). An excess of ‘Black Bile’ was considered to cause melancholia (depression), and an excess of ‘Yellow Bile’ brought on symptoms of anxiety and impulsiveness. The other two humours, ‘Blood’ and ‘Phlegm’, were considered to lead to mania and emotional indifference. Hippocrates ideas are similar to those in modern times that describe disturbances of the nervous system in terms of chemical imbalances or a low level of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters have been found to play a significant role in our mental health. People suffering with depression have been found to have too little serotonin and high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine have been associated with symptoms of
According to Dinsmoor, R. S. & Odle, T. G. (2009), bipolar depression refers to a condition in which people experience two extremes in mood. The bipolar spectrum includes; bipolar I, bipolar 2, bipolar NOS (not otherwise specified) and cyclothymia and all are related to disturbances in mood but differ in severity of symptoms. They are differentiated by the “impact the symptoms have on the person’s social or occupational function” (Duckworth & Sachs 2011). Typically bipolar I is more severe than bipolar II and bipolar II is more severe than Cyclothymia, which is a more chronic unstable mood state in which the “highs...
History shows that signs of mental illness and abnormal behavior have been documented as far back as the early Greeks however, it was not viewed the same as it is today. The mentally ill were previously referred to as mad, insane, lunatics, or maniacs. W.B. Maher and B.A. Maher (1985) note how many of the terms use had roots in old English words that meant emotionally deranged, hurt, unhealthy, or diseased. Although early explanations were not accurate, the characteristics of the mentally ill have remained the same and these characteristics are used to diagnose disorders to date. Cultural norms have always been used to assess and define abnormal behavior. Currently, we have a decent understanding of the correlates and influences of mental illness. Although we do not have complete knowledge, psychopathologists have better resources, technology, and overall research skills than those in ancient times.
Bipolar disorder is a lifelong condition that can affect how you feel and how you act. It is a mood disorder caused by chemical imbalances in the brain that can result in extreme mood swings, from manic highs to depressive lows. Also known as manic-depressive disorders, bipolar disorder is categorized and determined as “a psychological state in which a person experiences a mood disorder causing radical alterations in their moods”. Elevated levels of either manic or depression are very common with a person affected by a bipolar disorder.