Cyclothymia, or bipolar IV disorder, is a VERY mild form of bipolar disorder with constantly cycling highs and lows. It's quite different from bipolar II because they suffer from hypomania to a greater degree than the cyclothymics' hypomanic symptoms and they actually have major depressions. Dysthymia IS a part of cyclothymia, the depressive part, but these folks also experience mild hypomania as well. They are almost never baseline, always either down or up. I'm on Lamictal because both I, my PCP, and my psychiatrist highly think that I'm cyclothymic, and now that I'm on the medication, which is working for my mood swings very well, I'm even more convinced. For a personal example, ever since I was four (I'm 18 now), I've had ever fluctuating moods. My mom used to say that I could go from being miserable and irritated one minute to silly and giddy the next, and it was very true. I don't have "typical" depression, more like an irritation, but before I went on the Lamictal this fall, I was having a really tough time adjusting to college because of my OCD and mild Asperger's- not homesickness whatsoever, but rather, an incapability to get used to having a roommate, constantly being around annoying people, and not having a real structured schedule like highschool. So, I'd call my mom one week having a breakdown and sobbing, and then, she'd call to check on me a few hours later, and I was fine, laughing and smiling. As you can well imagine, this interfered with my life substantially, nothing to the point as a real bipolar person has to deal with, but bad enough that meds were needed. It actually sounds more like major depression to me than cyclothymia because you don't even have mild highs- you're either depressed or experiencing a euthymic (normal) mood. Did this help? Feel free to ask any more questions if not! God bless!
-GatsbyLuvr1920-
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