Posted by mellow on July 30, 2011, at 1:02:31
In reply to Cyclothymia: SLS and others. What is it?, posted by floatingbridge on July 29, 2011, at 13:36:41
I am dx cyclo. Basically it is a sub class of Bipolar some consider "soft" because it does not include full blown mania or full blown episodes of major depression. It is the oscillation between dsthymia (spelling?), a mild yet chronic depression and hypomania.
In my case I cycle between being really dissatisfied with life, sensitive to rejection, fatigued, sad, and often suicidal all the way to being the life of the party, full of energy on four hours sleep, grandiose, etc.
One of the major components of my moodiness is feeling like everything is "crystal clear" when I'm high then losing a lot of my confidence when I crash and feeling dull or shameful for weeks on end.
In contrast to those with Bipolar I who may find months if not years of remission and high function between episodes, people with cyclothymia often feel crummy all the time and experience little remission from what most literature shows. For me the only time I feel really good is when I'm not quite fully cranked up to hypomania. About fifty percent up the scale is when I start actually feeling like a normal person. But it is short lived as I end up being way high and psychotic after a couple of weeks.
There is certainly nothing "soft" about it. I've been feeling sh*tty for two months and keep telling myself I just need to have a better outlook on life. It's really up to me. I have a great doc and good therapist. My wife and family are awesome, but no one is going to live this life for me. I have to make the best of it. I don't think meds or a new therapist is gonna change things. I decided it's up to me.
Best of luck if this is your new Dx. I've done ok (at least I haven't been back to the psych ward) on Lamictal. The stabilizers are worth a shot. Exercise and yoga help a lot too.
mellow
Bipolar II
Lamictal 150, Topamax 50, Risperdal 2, Cal/Mag, D3 1000, Fish Oil 2400, High Potency Multi"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
poster:mellow
thread:992265
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110728/msgs/992303.html