Cyclothymia
Cyclothymia is a mental illness characterized by the development of mood lability with the characteristic formation of cyclicity. The mood of the patient with cyclothymia varies between a mild depressive state and a slight feeling of euphoria.
Episodes of mood change in cytothymia can be consecutive depression-mania, double, single. There are clinical cases when one phase lasts up to several months, years. There are also cases of passing a cycle of manic and depressive phases, after which the patient experiences significant relief of the condition.
Cyclothymia is a disease that is most common in the younger generation. For such a mental disorder, a prolonged chronic course is characteristic.
Some experts call cyclothymia a mild form of manic-depressive psychosis, which, of course, is the case. However, there are significant differences between these mental illnesses. With the development of cyclothymia, the phase change is not as pronounced as with psychosis, which is characterized by the stability of the change of periods.
CAUSES OF CYCLOTHYMIA
The reasons for the development of this mental illness lie primarily in genetics. Very often, if there have already been cases of bipolar or similar disorders in the family, then the probability of developing cyclothymia, as a facilitated form of manic-depressive psychosis, increases significantly.
The prevalence of the disease is also ambiguous – cyclothymia develops more often in women, as they are considered more prone to melancholy. Other reasons may come from the family itself – both from a specific family member, and from an unstable psychological background in the family as a whole.
The provoking and triggering moment for the development of cyclothymia can be a period of serious stressful situation. Since the disease occurs more often in young people, then such moments as a session, study in general, relationships with young people – all this to one degree or another can cause the development of such a pathology.
SYMPTOMS OF CYCLOTHYMIA
As a rule, cyclothymia develops at certain times of the year. Most often, the disease begins in autumn or spring.
Since the disease is characterized by a change of individual phases, it should be noted that about a quarter of all cases can occur without changing the phase of depression to the phase of mania. The development of the depressive phase begins with a gradual decrease in mood, aspiration, and creative behavior.
Patients with cyclothymia in the phase of depression become more antisocial, shutting themselves in. Along with social isolation comes a reduction in social communication – patients are not talkative or fall silent at all.
Then there is a sleep disorder, changing to insomnia, loss of appetite develops. The patient is becoming more and more pessimistic about his future, has a negative attitude to the events that happened to him in the past.
Despite the lowered mood, the patient does not have thoughts of suicide – which, in fact, distinguishes cyclothymia from bipolar affective disorder and similar ailments.
Then the depression phase is replaced by an improvement phase, during which the patient does not feel anything special, the mood improves, becomes elated. The patient begins to believe in himself, communicate with other people, engage in creativity.
With a long long-term course of cyclothymia, the depression phase can be mistaken for a trait of this person’s character. Episodes of depression can be expressed in idleness, laziness, unwillingness to work.
TREATMENT OF CYCLOTHYMIA
The purpose of treatment of cyclothymia is to stop the development of the depressive phase and further phase change with relapses. To do this, antidepressants, lithium preparations, carbamazepine, sodium valproate are prescribed. In severe cases, antidepressants are administered intravenously, combined with tranquilizers, neuroleptics and nootropics.
In case of severe depression, the patient should be hospitalized in a closed psychiatric department
