It’s a disorder that leaves you at the mercy of your moods, but
tends to be subtle enough that you may not even understand
you’re struggling with diagnosable symptoms. It’s not
particularly common, and there’s not much information available.
Cyclothymia affects up to 1 percent of the population. However,
at a hospital’s psychiatric department, it’s anywhere from 3 to
5 percent, according to Dr. Stephen B. Stokl, MD, Chief of
Psychiatry at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Ontario.
Cyclothymia is marked by bouts of low-grade depression and
hypomania, which includes elevated or irritable mood, decreased
need for sleep and racing thoughts for at least four days.
Adults are diagnosed after symptoms persist for two years. (Kids
and teens are diagnosed after one year.) “Cyclothymia has an
insidious onset that starts in late adolescence or early
adulthood, and has a chronic nature,” Stokl said. It’s milder
than bipolar I and bipolar II. Most people never get treatment,
according to John Preston, PsyD, professor at