Cyclothymia?

Hi all,

I haven't really posted in this forum but I would really appreciate any feedback if anyone has some...

In brief, I have been struggling with depression and anxiety for about 8 years (since I was 16 or so). I wouldn't say that I've ever had a major depressive episode, but certainly a consistent dysthymia. I've been on various medications since then, and nothing has realllllly worked. I also wouldn't say I've ever had a manic episode, but I do have periods where I feel extremely (and briefly) happy and full of energy. I've always just thought of myself as being "hyper" or something, and never really considered these to be periods of potential mania.

Lately though, I've really noticed my mood changing fairly quickly. For example, I might wake up feeling really great, and then 2 hours later feel completely depressed for no apparent reason. Then a couple hours later, I might feel great again.

My latest "hypothesis" is that the reason my medications haven't been working is because I've been on SSRI's or SNRI's and they're really not the right one for me. I've been wondering if cyclothymia might be a better fit for me, and if so, this could explain why I haven't felt much relief from any of the medications I've tried.

I have an appointment with my T this afternoon so I might run it by her.

What do you guys think? Is this possible, or are periods of "mania" (even though with cyclothymia they are less "intense") not experienced as I described them?

Any thoughts would be really helpful!

Thanks,
Jacq

From my understanding mood changes that are that sudden (within hours) are usually associated with BPD as opposed to bipolar. With BPD you can go from being sad to mad then happy within minutes or hours. If you do have BPD this would also explain why meds dont really help either.

Holy ****. I always joked about how I think my mom has BPD and now I'm looking at the dx criteria in the DSM and I can identify with so much of it :'(

are you in therapy? If you are ask about DBT. Its supposed to help people who have BPD but my therapist said its beneficial for anyone with bipolar or BPD.

I am in therapy but we do more CBT/mindfulness stuff.... although from my knowledge, I think that is fairly(?) similar to DBT? ..... This is terrifying.

It is similar. If you do have BPD its not as bad as it seems. Personality disorders are alot easier to overcome and have less symptoms once you go through therapy. My sister has BPD and went to a day outpatient program for it and has been doing very well ever since. She is symptom free. If she does have symptoms they are very mild. Bipolar on the other hand, you cannot control and its alot harder to manage. There are also self help DBT books that you can buy if your interested. you can always ask your therapist what they think about you having BPD. I would rather have BPD than bipolar. I dont agree with my bipolar dx. I think all my symptoms are from BPD but im not a pdoc...my meds arent really helping me either. I'm just starting DBT so im hopeful that will help the most.

Thanks for your thoughts Gina..... they were very helpful. I will discuss with my T today.

Let us know how it goes.

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My T doesn't think I have BPD.... she said that the fact that I think I have it means I don't! There were also other reasons, but she said it seemed like I had OCD more than anything (other than depression/anxiety).

I would ask your pdoc too but remember to just because a t says you don't doesnt mean they are right. Ive been misdiagnosed by MANY drs. I hope for your sake you dont have it though it seems like your doing the right things by getting treatment and seeing a t..

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I have bipolar but never dx with cyclothymia, hypomania, rapid cycling or mania.. so idk how they can even dx bipolar without one of those.

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You sound kind of like how I am when I'm not in an episode. When I'm not majorly depressed or manic, I experience mild, rapid mood swings. I've been told that I have a "cyclothymic temperament" in addition to my bp 1, so maybe you have that kind of temperament too?

If your symptoms aren't bothering you, then don't worry about it. If, however, they're making you miserable then try to find out what is beneath them. Maybe try both mood stabilizing medication and DBT?

Here is an article on the differences between bipolar and BPD: borderline