Cyclothymia?

[Mr_Fluffykins]

i know self diagnosis doesn't work, but i don't think ive read something so tru about myself, (but how would i know its not bi-polar 2) Euphoric phase can also be very much influenced by the intake of alcohol, well, if i actually am cyclothymiac,

the more stressed i am the more i go from extremly happy, feeling like everythings amazing, like imma do so well, that im hot shit, that women want me, that im gonna get published, that im going to do so well, finish school earn tonnes of money and live a crazy awesome life

then i can go to feeling normal, or i can go straight to anxiety, and worrying and thinking i am nothing and that i am nobody,

i really don't know anymore, i also have symptoms of OCD and some pretty extreme phobias (to do with certain types of be sheets, this one ended up getting the cops called on me, for me freaking out)

Symptoms

Dysthymic phase

Difficulty making decisions; problems concentrating; poor memory recall; guilt; self-criticism; low self-esteem; pessimism; self-destructive thinking; continuously feeling sad; apathy; hopelessness; helplessness; irritability; quick temper; lack of motivation; social withdrawal; appetite change; lack of sexual desire; self-neglect; fatigue or insomnia [1]

Euphoric phase

Unusually good mood or cheerfulness (euphoria); Extreme optimism; Inflated self-esteem; Poor judgment; Rapid speech; Racing thoughts; Aggressive or hostile behavior; Being inconsiderate of others; Agitation; Increased physical activity; Risky behavior; Spending sprees; Increased drive to perform or achieve goals; Increased sexual drive; Decreased need for sleep; Tendency to be easily distracted; Inability to concentrate [2]

 

[FiatFlux]

what was your actual question? are you looking for information about the disorder or for how it applies to you?

cyclothymia is to bipolar what dysthymia is to depression...

 

[mister_grimpus]

It isn't possible to self-diagnose yourself. It isn't possible for people to diagnose you over the internet. What you are looking for is something that only a psychiatrist or a psychologist can provide you, so you probably should go find one if this is bothering you that much. It's too easy to think yourself sick or believe that you fit into one label or another. You have to realize that you simply can't leaf through the DSM-IV and understand how to apply the criteria to yourself; you need to go through medical school to learn how to interpret those criteria to individual cases.

 

[Lolie]

A DSM diagnosis is not made purely on the basis of what symptoms you have. The differential diagnosis requires excluding other disorders and often some condition relating to symptoms (such as pervasiveness, onset before or after a certain age, frequency, duration, a given number of symptoms being present).

The DSM was developed for a purpose different to how it's now used and it's going to be massively overhauled for DSM 5 to reflect that change - many disorders are going to be dropped and others will be diagnosed using a different model.

The symptoms you've listed are ones which can be present in a number of disorders including bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Diagnosis is best made by assessing current symptoms and a comprehensive history. Even then, inter-rater reliability (ie, different doctors making the same diagnosis for a given patient) is a bit sketchy - which may not be an issue if the treatment for the misdiagnosed condition is the same as the treatment for the true disorder.

 

[greenberryhaze]

Fluffykins, how rapid are your cycles?

 

[Mr_Fluffykins]

I agree with what you guys are saing about about the dsm thank you, im actually gonna try and contact my psychiatrist, but its hard for me to do

my cycles, if well, my up and downs, my changings of mood out of the blue, happen, at a variablility of differecnt times sometimes within 10 minutes, sometimes and hour, sometimes a few hours sometimes a day, sometimes long
sometimes its not there

sometimes the euphoria is so great that i feels like its the first time im doing E

sometimes the sadness is so great i wanna curl up into a ball, or kill myself, or at least just sleep the rest of the day away

its worse especially around stressful times, sometimes during great times there will be less of the depression and more of the euphoria, sometimes i can just be outside saying wow, nature, everything is fucking amazing so beautiful the wind hiting my fface, other times colours are just dull,

 

[paranoid android]

Noone can diagnose you here but basically cyclothymia is bipolar lite. No major depressive episodes, no full blown manic episodes and no mixed states. From what you described your depression is abit deeper then what would fit cyclothymia really or such is my opinion. Also your moods rapid cycle worse then mine by the sounds of it which is saying alot considering i cycle like lance armstrong on methamphetamine when my meds arent working.

It could be a number of things but the only way to find out for sure is to go see a mental health professional.

 

[ethnobot781]

Lite? Really? My shrink reckons the mood component of my problems may be cyclothymia but that's based solely on the fact that the cycles go in days rather than weeks - the intensity is pretty strong. Then again I got all kinds o' stuff going on and I suspect I may gradually be morphing to full blown bipolar, just like my dear mama *sigh*

Peace, Ethnobot

 

[Mr_Fluffykins]

thank you guys for your imput,

how are we suposed to know what is normal?

i left a message for my psychiatrist so i should be having an apointment too
i don't wanna go to her and say "i think i have something wrong with my mood" ive been observing myself over the past little while and shit, just trying to make observations about my own moood