Kalhbaum was the first to recognize that people with cyclothymia often do not seek help for the disorder due to its milder symptoms.Cyclothymia has been conceptualized in a variety of ways, including as a subtype of bipolar disorder, a temperament, a personality trait, and a personality disorder. There is also an argument that cyclothymia should be considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. The two defining features of the disorder, according to DSM-5, are the presence of depressive and hypomanic symptoms, not meeting the threshold for a depressive or hypomanic episode. Cyclothymia is also classified as a subtype of bipolar disorder in DSM-5, but some researchers disagree with this classification and argue that it should be primarily defined as an exaggeration of mood and emotional instability. In the past, cyclothymia has been conceptualized to include other characteristics in addition to the flux between depression and hypomania, such as mood reactivity, impulsivity, and anxiety. Epidemiology
Cyclothymia, known today as Cyclothymic Disorder, tends to be underdiagnosed due to its low intensity. The exact rates for Cyclothymia have not been widely studied. Some studies estimate that between 5 and 8% are affected at some point in their life whereas other studies suggest a rate ranging from 0.4 to 2.5%.Males appear to be affected equally often, though women are more likely to receive treatment. Cyclothymia is diagnosed in around fifty percent of people with depression who are evaluated in psychiatric outpatient settings. Etymology
Cyclothymia is derived from the Greek word κυκλοθυμία (from κῦκλος, kyklos, "circle" and θυμός, thymos, "mood, emotion").
Society and culture
Actor Stephen Fry has spoken about his experience with cyclothymia, which was depicted in the documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive.Singer Charlene Soraia has cyclothymia and wrote a song about her experiences with the disorder. See also
References
Cited sources
Sadock, Benjamin; Sadock, Virginia; Ruiz, Pedro, eds. (2017). "13. Mood Disorders". Kaplan and Sadocks Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry (10th ed.). New York: Wolters Kluwer. == External links ==